
THE 



Bastiles of the North. 




BY A MEMBER 



MARYLAND LEGISLATURE. 



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Ce t^<ft- 



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"Under no possible ejhergf^ncy, not even in insurrection, OE. AMID THE 
THROES OF CIVIL WAR, can this Govei-ninent justift/ oJHcial interference with the 
Freedom of Speech or of the Press, .\NY .MORE THAN IT CAN WITH THE FREEDOM OF 
THE Ballot. The lieentLou.sness of the tongue and of the pen is a minor evil com- 
pared WITH THE LICENTIOUSNESS OF ARBITRARY POWER."— /Vancis P. Blnir. 



I 




BALTIMORE: 

PUBLISEIED ]}Y KELLY, HEDIAN & PIET, 

No. 174 BALTIMORE STREET. 



186E 



-e^ 




W. M. Innes' Steam Book Presses, Adams Express BmLDiNtJ, 164 BaltimoR:e St. 



Partly to while away the tedious hours of imprisonment, 
and partly to give my wife and children, on my return, 
some idea of the daily domestic routine of military prison 
life, but with no expectation or intention of publication, 
this Journal was written. 

The reader will doubtless say it should have been re- 
written for publication. Such was the writer's opinion, 
but friends who read the original, seemed to think it pre- 
ferable, as it was written day by day, without alteration or 
embellishment. 

The writer was early taught to adapt himself to what- 
ever circumstances he might be placed in, and not to com- 
plain unnecessarily of what he could neither forsee nor 
prevent ; hence his experience cannot be taken as a speci- 
men of the sufferings of others differently constituted, or 
who had not the means available to mitigate the rigor, 
often amounting to brutality, which the authorities at 
Washington thought proper to exercise towards their 
" State Prisoners" — a term hitherto happily unknown in 
this country, the very sound of which instinctively carries 
us to Italy and Austria, or the blackest period in the his- 
tory of France. 

When Mr. Seward determined by a coup d'etat to extin- 
guish the sovereignty of the State of Maryland, and estab- 
lish a military government in its stead, it became necessa- 
ry to manufacture some plausible excuse or reason for the 
outrage, this was that the Government had positive infer- 



mation that the Legislature had determined to pass an act 
of secession, when it should next meet in Frederick, and 
it even pretended it had secured a copy of the aforesaid in- 
tended act, in the hand-writing of one of the members. 
This was duly heralded in all the "Loyal" newspapers, 
and no doubt, to some extent, believed in the Northern 
States ; the writer will not suppose for a moment that any 
Marylander of ordinary common sense did not know, from 
the geographical situation of the State, that successful 
secession was an impossibility, except by future peaceable 
measures, whatever might be the wishes of the Legisla- 
ture, and this view was as well understood in the South as 
here. 

To those who may have attached credence to such a 
story, the writer will say, that at no time, and under no 
circumstances, was it the desire or intention of the Legis- 
lature of Maryland (with the exception of one solitary 
member,) to pass an Act of Secession, or any Act looking 
to it ; while a large majority of the members, from birth, 
from the ties of blood, of habits and associations, and of 
material interests, sympathized with the South in her 
efforts to resist the aggressions of the North against her 
domestic Institutions, at the same time they recognized 
the fact that Maryland was a State in the Union, and while 
such, bound by all her Constitutional obligations to the 
Union — they were opposed to coercion and to war, because 
they believed Disunion would be the inevitable result, and 
were not disposed to take an active part in measures that, 
in their judgment, would certainly destroy the Union, and 
with it all hopes of a re-construction. 

The real cause, however, of the arrest of the Legisla- 
ture, will probably be found in the letter of Lord Lyons to 
Lord liussell, under date of November 4, 1861 — and submit- 
ted, with other official correspondence, to Parliament on 
its meeting in February, 1862. Lord Lyons wrote that he 
had had a personal interview with Mr. Seward in relation 
to arbitrary arrests, and told him that it was creating a 
bad feeling in England, (there were, at that time, a large 



number of English subjects in the different Forts, most of 
them in irons, sailors who had been captured in running 
the blockade.) 

Mr. Seward replied that "onost of the recent ary^ests ivere 
made in vieiu of the Maryland elections, ivMch would he over 
in about a week, ivhcn he expected to release them." 

Of this fact, the Maryland prisoners were well aware, 
without the confession of Mr. Seward, and confidently ex- 
pected a release as soon as the military authorities had 
gone through the form, or rather the farce of holding an 
election ; in this they were doomed to disappointment. — 
The Northern "Loyal" papers insisted on our continued in- 
carceration as a means of "striking terror into the hearts of 
the peojDle of Maryland," while a class of peoi^le in Balti- 
more, generically known as "Plug Uglies," who had for 
years, by violence and fraud ruled the city of Baltimore, 
and had been finally jDut down, after a long struggle by 
the reform party, suddenly became "loyal" men, devoted 
to the Union, protested against the return of the Balti- 
more prisoners, as likely to disturb the peace and loyalty 
of the city, and embarrass the local government, of which, 
in the meantime, they had taken possession. 

This class of people, having for its "standing army" the 
rowdy clubs of Baltimore, and for its leaders, a few men 
who publicly make some pretensions to decency, and pri- 
vately use the party for the furtherance of their pecuniary 
or political interest, are the same people, who, two years 
ago, when Black Bepublicanism was not as prevalent in 
Baltimore as at present, cut off the coat tails of the pres- 
ent "Loyal" collector of Baltimore, and compelled him to 
escape by jumping out the window of the room where he 
was attempting to preside over a republican meeting ; who 
brick-batted the present "Loyal" assessor of the city for 
heading a small "wide awake" procession on the eve of 
the election, and were the most active in arming them- 
selves on the 19th and 20th of April, 1861, to drive back 
the "Abolitionists." 



When, a few clays afterwards, it became evident that the 
Government had the power to hold Baltimore and the de- 
termination to do it, true to their instincts, these people 
immediately became converts to the controlling power and 
were accej)ted by the Government as' the representatives and 
exponents of the "Loyal" people of Baltimore, and found 
their reward in the distribution of the public offices of the 
General, State and Municipal Governments, and in the 
filling of all sorts of contracts at all sorts of prices. 

The writer would not be understood as including in this 
class, all the professed "Loyalists" of Baltimore ; on the 
contrary there are many who conscientiously believe that 
the path to peace lies through blood and carnage ; that 
the South has no rights the North is bound to respect ; 
that the acts of the Government are not only Constitution- 
al, but right in themselves, and that the Editor of the 
''American," the great exponent of Loyalty in this city, 
is the embodiment of honesty and veracity. 

To the influence of both these classes, but particularly 
the former, the writer attributes the long continuance of 
the imprisonment of the Maryland political prisoners ; to 
the voice of the North, as reason began to resume its sway, 
spoken in thunder tones through the ballot-box, he attri- 
butes their final release. 

Lawrence Sangston. 

Baltimore, February, 1863. 



ii;gi0iiil f 0JiiiiiI 



OF A 



PRISONER OF STATE, " 

IN FORTS McHENRY, MONROE, LAFAYETTE AND WARREN. 



September 12, 1861. Aroused from sleep at mid-night 
by some one ringing and violently knocking at the door ; 
looked out of the window and saw a man who stated 
he had some important business with me, and desired 
me to come down immediately ; dressed and went down 
stairs, asked his name and business, and refused to open 
the door at that hour of the night to a stranger until 
he told me who he was and what he wanted. He then 
stated that he was a Police officer, named Bishop, that he 
had an order for my arrest in the name of the United 
States, and was directed to take me to Fort McHenry. I 
asked him if he had a written order, he said he had not ; 
that the order for my arrest came by Telegraph from 
Washington, and the Deputy Provost Marshal had sent 
him to execute it. I opened the door, and found four 
other policemen concealed under the balcony, and others 



8 

with a carriage at the corner above ; invited them into the 
Library while I made some preparation ; officers very 
polite and .suggested I had better take an overcoat with 
me as the night was chilly, and they would, if I desired 
it, attend to having my baggage sent to the Fort in the 
morning ; regretted very much the painful duty they had 
to perform, &c., &c. Carriage came to the door, got in 
with two of the officers, drove to the Western Station 
House, wondering and speculating as to the cause of my 
arrest ; could not comprehend it ; stopped at the door of 
the Station House, officers asked whether I would remain 
in the carriage or take a seat in the Station House. I 
asked why we stopped there, answered, it was to wait for 
Mr. Winans and others ; then saw the object was to pre- 
vent the meeting of the Legislature by the arrest of its 
members ; preferred to remain in the carriage as I had 
never been an inmate of a Watch House and did not 
desire to become acquainted with it; half an hour after- 
wards the hack with Mr. Koss Winans arrived and we 
proceeded to the Fort ; met numerous carriages on the 
road and at the gates of the Fort, showing the arrests were 
extensive. 

On entering the Fort, was received by Col. Morris, and 
ushered into an unfurnished room, where I found Messrs, 
Scott, Wallis, Harrison and Warfield, of the Legislature^ 
Mr. May, of Congress, Mr, Howard, Editor of the "Ex- 
change," and Mr. Hall, Editor of the "South;"' during 
the night, two other prisoners were brought in. Dr. Thomas 
of the Legislature and Mr. Brown, Mayor of the City, 
The Colonel had some chairs sent into the room, not 
sufficient, however, for all of rts, and the Lieutenant wae 
kind enough to send us a bottle of whiskey, very common, 
but no doubt the best he had : the Colonel came in, took 
"three lingers" of the whiskey, thought we were rather 
crowded, placed four of us in an adjoining roon}, bid us 
good night and departed. I paced the floor until morning, 
suffering much from Lumbago and loss of sleep. 



September 13. Wrote to my wife to send me some cloth- 
ing, to my brother for money, and to Deputy Marshal 
Woods to make a few purchases for me, cigars, tobacco, &c. ; 
after breakfast, four other jirisoners arrived, Messrs. Pitts, 
Dennison, Quinlan, and Lynch, members of the Legisla- 
ture, increasing our party to fifteen ; spent the forenoon in 
pacing the portico, reading and conversation. Wife and 
children at the gate, but not permitted to see me ; wife 
brought with her my best clothing, and some bedding, pil- 
lows, sheets, blankets, &c., which were received by the 
soldiers at the gate, but confiscated before they reached me, 
never saw nor heard of them afterwards. Woods came in 
the afternoon with the articles he purchased for me and 
some money for me from my brother ; received notice at 
4.45 to prepare for departure to Fortress Monroe at 5 o'clock ; 
notice ample, as I had nothing to prepare ; marched under 
guard to the Fort wharf, and on board the steamer Adelaide ; 
met General Dix at the wharf, who told me he had a letter 
for me at his office, and would detain the boat until he 
could send for it ; said that wherever we went we would be 
treated as gentlemen, and with the consideration due to 
our position ; saw my brother on the wharf, told me he had 
just put a bundle on board the boat for me ; could not find 
it, never heard of it afterwards ; doubtless captured by the 
guard and confiscated as contraband ; pleasant passage 
down the bay, treated very kindly by the officers of the 
boat, particularly by Mr. Klasson the clerk, who in the 
evening, sent us a dozen bottles of various kinds of liquors 
and wines and a box of cigars ; in the morning found them 
all empty and the guard disposed to be very sociable with 
us, except two or three who were too far gone ; had five or 
six hours of restless and uncomfortable sleep. 

It may be noticed as a singular incident that this is the 
anniversary of the day on which the "Star Spangled Ban- 
ner" was written by the grandfather of one of the prisoners. 

September 14. Arrived at Fortress Monroe at 8 A. M., 
after breakfast the clerk of the boat went on shore and 



10 

shortly returned with information that we would not be 
removed from the boat until after dinner, the boat then left 
the wharf and anchored in the roads opposite Mill Creek. 
The view here is an extensive and beautiful one, embracing 
the mouths of James and Elizabeth rivers, and the entire 
space of water known as Hampton Roads ; on the north, 
the fortress at Old Point, the camps between the Fort and 
Hampton Creek and the ruins of Hampton in the distance, 
on the east and south, the Rip Raps, Willoughby's Point, 
Sewell's Point and the south side of James river as far as 
the mouth of the Nansemond. While here and there, by 
the aid of an opera glass could be seen the tented camps 
and flags of the Confederates. The day was delicious, and 
under other circumstances I should have enjoyed it much, 
notwithstanding my familiarity with the scene. At two 
o'clock, P. M., General Wool sent for Mr. Brown and Mr. 
May ; they returned in about an hour and stated the result 
of their interview : General Wool informed them that his 
orders were to keep us in "close custody," and not permit 
any communication with any one ; that under these in- 
structions we would be confined in the casemates, that we 
would be supplied with food from the hotel by Mr. Wil- 
lard, and furnished with facilities for writing to our friends, 
all letters passing through his hands. 

Messrs. Brown and May remonstrated with General Wool 
at this severe interpretation of his orders, that the case- 
mates were contracted and necessarily damp, and that, 
with the total deprivation of exercise in the fresh air, would 
seriously jeopardize the health of our party, some of whom 
were very old men, and others of delicate frame and con- 
stitution, not prepared, from their previous habits and 
position in life, to meet such a deprivation with safety. 
General Wool replied that the difficulty about the case- 
mates might be obvdated by assigning to our use a build- 
ing within the walls of the Fort known as " Carroll Hall," 
which would be sufficiently spacious to give each of us a 
separate room, and that he would have the building pre- 
pared for us by to-morrow, in the meantime we would 



11 

occupy the casemates, but that the privilege of taking exer- 
cise in the open air was not, according to his view, allow- 
able under his construction of his orders. At 4 o'clock, 
P. M., the boat returned to the wharf and we were march- 
ed into the Fort, under a guard, to our quarters. 

Those quarters consisted of two casemates, each contain- 
ing two rooms, the one facing the interior of the Fort, 15 
by 22 feet; the other facing the canal and sea, 15 by 17 
feet, arched and covered with earth perhaps 10 or 15 feet, 
supplied with closets in alcoves between the dividing walls ; 
the front room with fire-place and lighted by a sash-door 
and two windows of the usual size, the back room lighted 
by the port hole, 22 by 24 inches. 

No pre]3aration had been made to receive us, but soon 
the quartermaster and provost marshal made their appear- 
ance, and stated that arrangements would be promptly 
made for our comfort and convenience. A sufficient quan- 
tity of iron bedsteads, mattresses, and bed clothing, soon 
came from the hotel and were arranged. The beds were 
very good for those who could sleep on beds as hard as 
the floor. I cannot, being afflicted with Lumbago, and 
consequently passed a sleepless and painful night. 

We made our domestic arrangements by taking one of 
the larger rooms for a mess room, and placing five beds in 
each of the other rooms. We were then informed that 
under no circumstances would we be permitted to leave our 
quarters or even to sit at the door ; this involved other 
domestic arrangements of an unpleasant character, par- 
ticularly in crowded, damp and ill- ventilated apartments ; 
in making this and other arrangements for our comfort, 
the provost marshal, Capt. Davis, professed a disj^osition 
to do for us whatever he could.* 



* Two or three days afterwards, when the sergeant closed our doors and 
windows, by the order, as he said, of General Wool, who, in riding past, 
had noticed the shutters open, and had reprimanded him for permitting 
it ; we wi'ote to Capt. Davis, through Mr. Wallis, complaining of the 
almost total deprivation of light and air ; no notice was taken of the letter, 
unless the placing of iron bars and padlocks on the doors and windows 
next morning, might be considered an answer. 



12 

Supper was served at eight o'clock and shortly afterwards 
we retired, or rather we went to bed; about ten o'clock an 
officer entered our apartment and commenced a thorough 
search of the baggage and clothes in a style that would 
have been creditable to an Austrian Custom House Officer, 
notwithstanding it had been previously searched at Fort 
McHenry, still it was quietly and respectfully done, only 
awakening the sleepers as he wanted the key of some 
j)articular trunk ; having no baggage myself, he was 
forced to content himself with searching the pockets of 
my coat, vest and pantaloons, which were laying across a 
chair at my bedside, but found nothing suspicious nor con- 
traband ; having finished by taking an unusually large 
drink out of a bottle of whiskey in Dr. Lynch' s trunk, 
under .the delusion that no one was looking at him, he 
quietly de];)arted, and save the tread of the sentinel, all 
was still. 

September lb.— Sunday. Very sore in the back and 
breast from an attempt to sleep last night, got up two or 
three times during the night and paced the floor, wrote 
home for a soft mattress, and soft rocking chair, such as I 
am accustomed to sit on ; very quiet in our quarters, some 
reading the Bible, some writing letters ; heard the singing 
of some religious service in the neighborhood, but was not 
invited to participate. There are Sundays in revolutionary 
times ; but, perhaps, they think prisoners have no souls ! 
Read as much as my broken spectacles would permit, and 
went to bed early, slept four or five hours, received 
baggage from home, and a variety of little comforts such 
as women alone know how to provide ; trunk and provision 
can well searched by a Baltimore detective who came down 
in the boat, the Deputy Provost Marshal standing by to 
see it well done ; small bundle which the detective declined 
to open, asked him why? said he saw it in the Provost 
Marshal's office in Baltimore the day previous, and knew 
the contents ; wife sent the keys of trunk and provision 
can, lost on the way and both had to be broken open, 



13 

detective's style of breaking locks may be characterized as 
'' strong but not neat." 

September 16. Close, murky morning, rooms smelling 
badly, applied to officer in charge for some disinfecting 
agent, promised, but did not come ; no change of quarters 
as promised and expected ; soldiers engaged all the morn- 
ing in building a fence in front of our rooms, making an 
enclosure of about forty by twenty-five feet ; supposed it 
was intended to extend the area of freedom by giving us a 
place for exercise — all a mistake — intended for the con- 
venience of the guard, and to keep off curious idlers who 
come to ''look at the menagerie;" fare getting worse, 
can't tell tea from coffee or coffee from tea ; sent protest 
verbally, by waiters, to Mr. Willard, against furnishing 
such questionable liquids, most cf us have been at his 
house in Washington, and know he can do better if he 
will ; spent the day in reading and playing cards. I read 
aloud Burke's address to the King in 17*77, and Wallis 
read the "Captive Starling," from Sterne, the one as 
singularly applicable to the present condition of the 
country, and the other to our own condition as prisoners. 

Had a visit this morning from Major Hamilton, who it 
seems is an acquaintance of Mayor Brown, he is aid 
to General Wool, and called to read to us the orders of 
the General for our information — they were exceedingly 
minute, even to directing the servants who brought our 
meals from the hotel, to count the knives, forks and spoons 
after each meal and take them back to the hotel ! ! ! 

Rained very hard all the afternoon and night with a 
gale from the East, rooms very damp and oppressive from 
various causes, Mr. Quinlan sick with dysentery ; slept 
better thaa heretofore. 

September 17. Rooms very damp from storm last night, 
floor of mess room wet with exhalations from the ground, 
had a fire built to dry the room and air, applied again for 
disinfectants, but without success ; fare somewhat improved, 



14 

especially liquids, coffee decidedly better ; Provost Marshal 
sick, and as he is the only one we can apply to, for any 
thing we want, must remain satisfied until he gets well. 
Kept fire up all day to dry the rooms ; soldiers at work 
putting bars to the front windows; Corporal says he has 
orders to close the front windows and doors, shutting out 
to a great extent the light and air, already very scant ; 
hear nothing further of promised change of quarters to 
Carroll Hall ; went to bed at 10 o'clock, got but little sleep. 

September 18. Clear and pleasant weather ; built fire to 
dry the rooms, read the Baltimore and New York papers, 
which are purchased by one of the sergeants for us ; received 
letters from home of a pleasant character ; during the 
morning the sergeant closed and fastened front doors by order 
of the General, the instructions from Washington to keep 
us in "close custody" now literally carried out, the only 
light and air we now receive in each casemate is from an 
opening of less than a square yard. Wrote to Capt. Can- 
non to hunt up my lost baggage ; after dinner played cards 
for a couple of hours ; about five o'clock, an officer with 
blacksmiths came to put iron bars and padlocks on the front 
doors and windows ; the sound of the blacksmith's hammer 
under such circumstances produces a singularly grating 
sensation, and is in painful contrast to a visit made us the 
day before yesterday by the aid-de-camp of General Wool, 
who called to assure us of the desire of the General to do 
whatever he could to promote our comfort, and gratuitously 
suggested that he would have a neighboring room pre- 
pared to use as a water closet, and relieve us from the 
necessity of using our eating and sleeping apartments for 
that purpose, which, however, lias not been done. A pleas- 
ing contrast to this may be recorded of the kindness of one 
of the officers who sent us a box of cigars, half dozen bot- 
tles of cologne and a few volumes of light reading ; played 
cards for an hour after supper ; received my mattress and 
chair from Baltimore, and had the first comfortable and 
refreshing sleep since my arrest. 



15 

September 19. Awoke very much refreshed — pains in 
back and chest very mnch lessened ; passed the morning 
in reading, writing, and taking as much exercise as our 
contracted quarters will admit of — these quarters consist of 
four rooms, having in the aggregate, a superficial area of 
twelve yards square. When it is considered that in addi- 
tion to the fifteen occupants of this space, there are fifteen 
bedsteads, fifteen washstands, eighteen chairs, twenty-five 
trunks, four closets, three wardrobes, (extremely primitive 
in their construction,) three sets of shelving of similar 
character, a pine table, three hy four and a half feet, a 
dining table, twelve by three feet, two fire places, two 
portable water closets, (all hut the water,) and numerous 
small items encumbering the floors in the way of slop 
buckets, spittoons, baskets, bundles, &c., &c.; it may be 
readily understood that the space for exercise is exceed- 
ingly small. The table has been better supplied during 
the past two or three days, particularly in liquids, the 
coffee is now really good ; after dinner played cards for an 
hour or two. We are gradually being placed under more 
stringent discipline ; are no longer permitted to communi- 
cate our wants to the Corporal of the Guard, or permitted 
to speak to the sentinels. When we wish anything done 
our only mode of communicating our wants is through the 
Deputy Provost Marshal, who has other duties to perform, 
and of course is only occasionally within call ; two instances 
of this inconvenience may be noticed during this day: 
about one o'clock a lieutenant came from head-quarters 
with our letters; the deputy marshal not being present, 
the Corporal of the Guard declined receiving them, and 
the lieutenant had to take them back, not being allowed 
to deliver them himself, and we did not get them until 
late in the day, too late to answer them hy that night's 
mail. Again, in the afternoon, we were without water, 
and although a bucket of ice-water (which loe had paid for) 
was standing outside the door, and we could see it through 
the slats, we had to wait two hours until the only person 
who could deliver it to us made his appearance, by which 



16 

time the sun had melted the ice and spoiled the water. 
After supper, played cards for a couple of hours and went 

to hed. 

September 20. Awakened earlier than usual hy the 
noise of unlocking and unbarring the outer doors. Addi- 
son, in describing the City of Cologne, famed, the world 
over, for its sweet scented perfumes, and the nastiness (I 
don't like that word) of its streets, says that in walking 
around the city he counted some fifty stenches, each of 
them separate and well defined stinks ; — the entire fifty, 
consolidated into one grand stink, could not have exceeded 
that found in our rooms this morning — got up, made a 
cup of strong coffee and smoked a couple of cigars to 
mollify the stench, but with little success ; ate breakfast — 
excellent coflee and beefsteak, but bread not fit to eat ; 
supplied that deficiency out of tin can which wife was 
thoughtful enough to send, filled with bread, biscuit and 
crackers ; after breakfast read the Baltimore and New 
York papers, full of lies about the Maryland Legislature ; 
received letters from home, all well.* 

Deputy Provost Marshal made his appearance slightly 
tight, {our liquor passes through his hands,) and was 
unusually civil and obliging ; expressed great anxiety to do 
what he could to promote our comfort, and superintended 
the cleaning of our rooms by two contraband negroes 

* The ^''Baltimore American,'''' received to-day, boldly asserts, in its 
editorial, that letters had been intercepted between the Members of the 
Legislature and the Confederates in Virginia, which revealed the whole 
plan of action. General Johnston was to cross the Potomac with a large 
army and occupy the City of Frederick, and the Legislature were simul- 
taneously to pass an Act of Secession under the protection of Confederate 
bayonets, all of which the Editor knew to be false when he penned it. 

We wrote an article, denouncing the falsehood, for publication in the 
Baltimore papers, but General Wool declined sending it, except via Wash- 
ington, where of course it was suppressed. 

The same paper speaks, with great apparent pleasure, of the action of a 
Wisconsin Regiment in sacking the Legislature Halls, and making a 
'^ grand conflagration^^ of the public documents after they had arrested 
and dispersed the Legislature. 



detailed for that purpose, both exceedingly dirty and 
stupid, especially one named James Munroe, v/ho, from 
the exuberance of his wool, we have named the General. 
The Deputy Provost having ascertained that some bottles 
of whiskey and a bucket of ice water were in the closet 
in the back room, undertook the cleaning of that room 
himself, and several times went back to see if any thing 
was left undone. 

Dinner remained on the wheelbarrow outside the door 
to-day until it got cold, because the Duputy was absent, 
and no one else could authorize its delivery ; when he 
came, he apologized, had been to his own dinner, and 
forgot ours, and had fallen asleep after dinner, no doubt 
from the fatigue of his morning's work. Tried to read and 
sleep in the afternoon, but failed in both. A decided 
improvement to-day in our accommodations ; the rear room 
of the adjoining case-mate appropriated to our use as a 
water closet, thus ridding us of one of the most offensive 
nuisances that can be imagined in close and badly venti- 
lated rooms. 

Supper, reading an hour, cards a couple of hours — and 
to bed, 

September 21. Awoke very much refreshed and free 
from pain, and rooms comparatively free from stench ; 
made a cup of coffee, smoked and read the newspapers ; 
very good breakfast, fish particularly good and well cooked ; 
no letters from home to-day. The usual routine for the 
morning, reading, writing and conversation until dinner ; 
after dinner reading and cards until supper, — very poor 
supper and very little of it, — so much so that Deputy 
Provost swore vengeance against hotel keepers, cooks and 
waiters: Deputy, however, was ''tightly slight," and has 
become our fast friend ever since he found where our liquor 
closet was, and is beginning to entertain a very high 
opinion of us, particularly as we do not go into the back 
room when he is there, — an open box of cigars and some 
fine old bologna sausage with a box of crackers in the 



18 

closet has tended very inucli to increase his appreciation 
of us. 

Spent a vei\y pleasant evening listening to Wallis read- 
ing the "Prisoner of Chillon " and other pieces from 
Byron ; went to bed at eleven and slept soundly. 

September 22. — Sunday. Usual routine — received letters 
fioni liome and answered them; provisions and liquors 
arriving from kind friends in Baltimore in sufficient quan- 
tities to set up a hotel, with an upper and lower bar; the 
latter was established some days since by Quarter-master 
W., and is well patronised, our legal friends having no 
other bar to practice at, are faithfully doing duty at this 
one, and the medical and mercantile members of our party 
are following the example — spent the morning in reading ; 
dinner again remained on the wheelbarrow, outside, until 
it gut cold ; slept most of the afternoon — after supper read 
aloud from the "Ingoldsby Legends,'" ]iaced the floor for 
exercise for an hour, smoked a pipe, and went to bed. 

September 23. Rose at six, very good night's sleep, cup 
of coftec and cigar and half an hour's exercise pacing the 
floor. Deputy Provost came in with a message from Gen- 
eral Wool to Mr. Winans, requesting the pleasure of his 
company to breakfast — which we regarded, to use one of Ben 
Deford's expressions, as "Catamount" to a release; take 
it for granted that Revenue Johnson has received another 
fee of Ave hundred dollars ; see him d- — — d before he gets 
a fee out of me for such service ; glad to see Winans re- 
leased, he bore his confinement like a man ; after breakfast, 
Winans returned in company with Major Hamilton, an aid 
of General Wool, to get his baggage, and take leave of us : 
spent the morning in reading and writing, — no news- 
papers to-day. 

This being the anniversary of Dr. Thomas' birth day, 
we spent an extra lialf hour ait the dinner table in honor 
of it ; I made cofiee for tlie party, and with some fine old 
sherry wine, that Winans left us, and some wild cherry 



19 

bounce, contributed by Frank Howard, we had a good 
time; toast by Pitts to Thomas "May your next birth- 
day be spent with your own mate and not in a case-mate;" 
did not forget to drink Winans' health in the sherry he 
left us. 

Our quarters are getting gradually more comfortable, 
perhaps because we are getting more accustomed to them ; 
we have now a fire daily in the dining room which serves 
to dry the air in all the rooms, and the officer who has 
charge of us (Deputy Provost Hunt) shows every disposi- 
tion to attend to us, our greatest deprivation is, of exercise 
in the open air ; we suffer to some extent also for want of 
light and ventilation. Major Hamilton stated to-day that 
the Greneral had every disposition to alleviate our condition, 
but that his orders were rigid to keep us in close confine- 
ment ; why it is necessary in carrying out those orders to 
deprive us of light and air by closing and barring the 
doors and windows, we cannot conceive. 

After dinner played cards for a couple of hours ; in the 
evening, Wallis read aloud from Byron. Went to bed at 
eleven and slept soundly. 

September 24. Kose at seven and made coffee; feel very 
well, entirely free from Lumbago: enjoyed breakfast very 
much, pickiDg broiled crabs, for which Warfield sent to 
Baltimore ; none to be had at the hotel here, although the 
shores swarm with them ; Yankees have not discovered 
they are fit to eat; and although this is the heart of Gov. 
Wise's "fundum" we have not seen an oyster, and have 
not been able to get one from the hotel ; the fish, however, 
are very good, and nicely cooked. No newspapers to-day; 
Deputy says the entire newspaper mail missed this morn- 
ing ; received letter mail at twelve, but nothing for me; 
wrote to wife, also to Dr. Chaj^mau requesting him to 
write to William H. Seward, and tell him how we are 
treated here, with regard to light, air and exercise ;* 

* Seward expressed great astonishment when informed of our treatment, 
insisted that Geu. Wool had mis-interpreted his orders, which were to 



20 

dinner to-day remained on the wheelbarrow outside the 
door for one Jiour, waiting for Deputy Provost to come and 
authorize its delivery ; vegetables of course cold, and not 
fit to eat; another great annoyance arising from same 
cause, is that we cannot pass into the water closet unless 
the same personage is present to authorize it, although 
water closet is in an adjoining casemate, and the door 
guarded by a special sentinel ; suffered much inconvenience 
to-day from having to wait more than an hour before 
the officer could be found. After dinner, reading and con- 
versation, evening passed in same way, to bed at ten and 
slept soundly. 

September 25. Arose at six o'clock; very good night's 
slee^j ; made coffee for myself and the others as far as the 
machine would go. At eight o'clock. Major Hamilton 
made his appearance with orders from General Scott to 
ship us to Fort LaFayette, New York harbor ; the boat to 
start at two o'clock, P. M.; consumed the morning in 
writing home and packing up, in which we were aided by 
the Deputy Provost, who managed to steal nearly all our 
stock of candles ; caught him at it, he excused himself on 
the ground that he wanted them, and we could get plenty 
more where we were going ; besides he said it was a steal- 
ing business all round, and that it was through his man- 
agement that they were obtained from the quartermaster ; 
had an early dinner, and at the appointed hour left our 
quarters with great ceremony, escorted by several hundred 
soldiers under the command of a Dutch colonel, who, when 
all was ready for a start, gave the order to ' ' advance for- 
ward;' the rear guard being composed of all the idlers, 
children and contraband negroes about the Fort ; reaching 
the wharf, we were carefully counted and delivered over 

keep us securely, but treat us kindly, and said he would immediately write 
to General Wool on the subject. 

General Wool, on the other hand, insisted that his orders were positive to 
treat us with great rigor, feed us on soldier's rations, (which, however, 
be did not do,) and permit no one to see us. 



21 

to a Capt. Coster, who having properly receipted for us, 
marclied us with a guard of thirty men on board the 
steamer George Peabody, Capt. Travers ; our Deputy Pro- 
vost accompanied us to the boat, and actually shed tears 
at parting with us, shaking hands several times with each 
of us, (he had helped to pack our liquors,) no doubt he 
considered our departure as a calamity, as his only chance 
for an occasional drink and a good dinner departed with us. 
The officer in charge gave orders that we should have 
the liberty of the entire ship and the best of every thing 
on board during the voyage : the latter order was entirely 
unnecessary, as every one of the ship's crew, from the 
captain down to the kitchen negroes, were Marylanders ; 
weather delightful at starting, but outside the Capes 
encountered heavy ground swell from the east, the effect 
of the late storm, which made the ship roll heavily, and 
most of the party sea-sick. The Captain of the Guard and 
most of his men very sick ; the perfect ease with which 
the ship's course could be turned to the south was freely 
discussed, and nothing but the belief that our imprison- 
ment would be of short duration, prevented it from being 
done ; when such of the guard as were not too sick to go, 
went in the cabin to supper, they stacked their guns in an 
adjoining cabin, and about ten o'clock one of the negro 
waiters came to me and whispered very confidentially that 
"none of them wanted to go to New York ;"' went to bed 
at eleven — slept but little from the motion of the ship and 
the hardness of the bed. 

September 26. Arose at six o'clock ; ship rolling so 
badly that I could scarcely dress ; very unwell ; could not 
eat any breakfast until ten o'clock, and very little then ; 
locomotion very difficult ; weather delightful, and would 
have enjoyed it very much, but for the rolling of the ves- 
sel ; Capt. Travers, his officers and crew, all very kind and 
attentive to us ; the Captain placed his ship's stores at our 
disposal, and would take no compensation ; arrived at 
Fort LaFayette at four o'clock in the afternoon, and anchor- 



22 

ed until the Captain of the Guard could communicate with 
the commander of the Fort ; at five he returned with orders 
for our deharkation ; went ashore in small boat ; were 
received and required to answer to our names at the wharf 
stairs by Lieut. Wood, the commander of the Fort, and 
ushered into one of the battery rooms, already occupied by 
twenty-four others — mostly Marylanders ; rather shock- 
ed at the appearance of things as compared with our quar- 
ters at Fortress Monroe ; luckily I brought my mattress 
with me, as the Government furnishes nothing but an iron 
bedstead, a pallet of straw, and a shoddy blanket ; and as 
our arrival was unexpected, but Jive bags of straw could 
be found for our whole party of fourteen ; and but for the 
exertion of Mr. Davis, Police Commissioner, who imme- 
diately set to work to borrow mattresses and blar.ketsfrom 
those who could spare them, most of us would have been 
without a bed of any kind. Baggage not coming in to get 
sheets and blankets out, had to sleep in my clothes; finally 
got fixed and went to sleep, but awakened by the restless- 
ness of my fellow lodgers half a dozen times during the 
night, 

September 27. Aroused at six by beating of drums ; got 
up and went out to view the premises; not very inviting, 
Fort built on a small island about half a mile from main 
shore, island covering perhaps an acre, area of interior 
about thirty-five yards square, surrounded by buildings 
three stories high, the upper story of wood; Maryland 
Penitentiary decidedly more prepossessing in appearance; 
fell in with a prisoner of war from Virginia, named Drane, 
(whom I had met at Fort McHenry in my visits thither, 
with clothing and food for the prisoners.) Was very glad to 
see me and insisted on my going to his room to take a 
wash, furnished me with fresh water and a clean towel, 
did not know at the time how great a compliment it was, 
as otherwise I would have been compelled to wash in salt 
water. Made arrangements through Mr. Davis to have 
our meals furnished by Mrs. Graves, the wife of one of the 



28 

sergeants, at fifty cents per meal, so I shall not suffer on 
that score; those who have not the means or inclination to 
make this arrangement, live on the rations furnished by 
the Government, consisting of salt pork or rather pork 
fat, hard and soft bread on alternate days, bean soup and 
a liquid called coffee, sweetened with molasses, served up 
on tin plates and cups. 

Made a survey of our room — sixty-six by twenty-two 
feet — brick floor, occupied by thirty-eight people, (twenty- 
three of them members of the Maryland Legislature, the 
"^balance from Kentucky) containing five thirty-two pound 
cannon with their cumbersome carriages, occupying fully 
half the space in the room, thirty-eight iron bedsteads, 
the baggage of all the occupants, half a dozen chairs and 
three wooden benches five feet long ; the Government with 
great liberality has supplied for the accommodation of this 
number of people, one small writing table, three wash 
stands with bowls and pitchers, two water buckets, one 
slop tub and one tin cup to drink out of, and furnishes two 
candles at night, for the whole party, which are cut up in 
small pieces, and distributed around, (did not anticipate 
this or would have stopped Deputy Provost at Fortress 
Monroe when 1 caught him stealing our candles ; he is 
and is not, a man of foresight.) 

This room is ventilated by five port holes eighteen by 
twenty-four inches, and during the day, by two of the 
doors facing the interior of the Fort; the latter are closed 
and locked at sun-set, and at 9.15 all lights must be put 
out and we are left in utter darkness ; should any of the 
inmates have to attend to calls of nature during the night, 
he has to find his way to the door, and knock until the 
sentinel chooses to hear him, which generally takes ten or 
fifteen minutes ; the sentinel then goes after the Sergeant 
of the Guard, which consumes about as much more time ; 
who conducts the applicant outside the Fort walls and 
back again, when the door is closed and he is left to find 
his bed as best he can, in the dark ; a very difficult opera- 
tion, as the room is too much crowded to admit of passages 



24 

between the bedsteads, and tbe unfortunate generally 
stumbles over and wakes up a dozen others, and leaves the 
marks of the sharp iron legs of the bedsteads on his shins 
before he finds his own place ; much confusion arose last 
night from this cause, several of our party being quite 
sick. 

I foresaw this difficulty and obviated it by placing my 
bed alongside the door ; I did not gain much however by 
it, as I was awakened about once an hour by the thump- 
ing at the door. 

Occupied most of the morning in writing letters home : 
weather cold and raw, had to write with a blanket wrapped 
round my legs. 

Very good dinner at three o'clock ; our mess consists of 
forty persons, for wliich the sergeant receives our rations 
and forty dollars per day, furnishing us with two meals. 
From various little circumstances we assume that the 
Commander of the Fort receives a larger share of the 
profits than the sergeant and his wife do. After dinner we 
lost two of our room-mates, Messrs. Brown and Warfield, 
who have been removed to what is supposed better quarters 
in one of the casemates, although I doubt it very much ; 
they will have a more select set of companions, but only 
one- third the amount of oxygen, which I esteem as the 
most valuable commodity, under existing circumstances ; 
the fioor room will be the same, but the ceiling only one- 
third the height; gained an accession to-day to our furni- 
ture of three washstands, bowls and pitchers, — quite an 
acquisition as it will give a wash basin to each six men 
instead of each tioelve, about dusk, one of the prisoners, 
Mr. Sturdevant, was released and bade us adieu; locked up 
at sun-set ; no supper : being provided with but two meals 
per day, — enough however. 

Terrific storm all the afternoon and night ; waves break- 
ing over the sea walls ; and throwing spray to the top of 
the Fort walls, tried to get to the rear early in the evening 
but found it impossible to face the wind and spray ; was 
aroused during tlie night by the sergeant coming in to 



25 

count the prisoners ; — the Fort barge had disappeared and 
it was feared some of us had escaped. 

September 28. Arose at six and attended to domestic 
duties — making hed, &c., — learned that the barge was 
stolen last night by two sentinels, who succeeded in mak- 
ing their escape during the noise of the storm ; — the 
empty boat was found this morning on the Stateu Island 
shore. Excellent breakfast at eight — wrote to William 
Jones, New York, to send me another bed, some blankets, 
bed linen, towels, &c. , &c., — and gave an order to Sergeant 
Graves to purchase for me a writing table, some candle- 
sticks, (bottles are very inconvenient as they will topple 
over,) pitchers, tumblers, tin cups, water buckets, &c.; 
as there is every prospect of our remaining here for some 
time, I shall go regularly to house-keeping ; after break- 
fast, lost another of our room-mates, Mr. Wallis, who was 
removed through the kind intervention of Mr. Davis to 
better quarters ; sorry to part with him, but glad for his 
own sake; received in his place a new prisoner, an Eng- 
lishman named Brayne, hailing from Tennessee, making 
the number now in our room thirty-six. Passed the 
morning in reading, writing, with some exercise, and in 
learning the rules and regulations posted in our rooms for 
our information ; — they were very numerous and got up in 
the most pompous style ; — the commander, in signing his 
name, imitated the famous signature of " John Hancock." 
We were ordered to be respectful and obedient to the 
soldiers, who in turn were ordered to speak to us alioays 
in a ^ ^ peremptory " manner; we were directed to have our 
rooms cleaned up before nine o'clock, when they would be 
inspected ; we were to visit the water closet not over four 
times during the day and twice during the night, and the 
sentinels were expressly charged not to permit us to 
"loiter there;" we were to put out the lights at quarter 
past nine, (the garrison clock from some cause or other 
Avas kept three-quarters of an hour too fast;) we were 
informed that " conversation " after that hour was "strict- 
2 



26 

ly prohibited;" we were told that our letters must be 
short, plainly written, respectful to the officers, and that 
each letter, no matter what might he its object or contents^ 
should have the following postscript added to it, signed by 
the writer : ^^ It is my desire that tliis letter, or any part 
thereof, shall not be puUished in any newspaper;"* and we 
were notified if we had any complaint to make, we could 
address the Commander in writing, provided it was done 
in " respectful language." 

Spent the afternoon in visiting the neighbors and getting 
acquainted with them. There are now in the Fort one hun- 
dred and seventeen prisoners confined in six rooms. Num- 
bers 1, 2, 3 and 4 are small casemates fourteen by twenty- 
two feet, arched, five feet high at the spring of the arch, and 
eight feet in the centre^ with two very small slits in the wall 
for windows and no ventilation when the door is closed, and 
have respectively, nine, fifteen, ten and nine occupants. The 
inmates of No. 2 are captured privateersmen and sailors, 
taken in attempting to run the blockade, and are all kept 
in chains, not allowed to have beds, or permitted to take 
any exercise ; they sleep on the naked floor with their 
chains on. Some charitable people offered to furnish them 
with beds, but the commander refused permission. The 
sailors (not privateersmen) are with one exception British 
subjects, and were captured on British vessels bound from 
Nova Scotia to North Carolina. The week before we 
arrived there were twenty-eight confined in that room; 
part were released on taking the oath of allegiance to the 
United States, and part sent to the Tombs in New York. 



* This regulation was, for a while, a source of amusement, letters were 
daily sent to New York for such little articles as the prisoners required, 
one would want a hat, a shirt or a pair of boots half-soled, another a tin 
cup, a pack of cards, a pound of tobacco, a wash bowl or some other 
article of crockery, and at the foot of each letter would be the required 
l)0stscript — " It is my desire that this letter, or any part thereof, shall not 
be published in any newspajier. ' ' 

Finally the thing became so ridiculous that it was dropped on both sides 
by common consent. 



27 

No. 5 is a battery room with four cannon and thirty-six 
occupants, fifty by twenty-two feet. 

No. 6 is also a battery room, sixty-six by twenty-two 
feet, with thirty-eight occupants. 

Among the prisoners may be found representatives of 
every grade of society or condition of life, of the highest 
development of intellect, and of its lowest grade, even to 
the idiot — one of the latter having been sent hither from 
Kentucky as a ''prisoner of State"!!! instead of being 
sent to a lunatic asylum. 

Among the prisoners are those who have been, or are. 
Governors of States, Foreign Ministers, members of Con- 
gress and of different State Legislatures, Mayor and Police 
Commissioners, officers of the Army from Colonels to Lieu- 
tenants; of the Navy of all grades, doctors, civil, naval 
and military; lawyers, merchants, farmers, mechanics, 
(especially machinists and inventors, whom the Govern- 
ment regards as a dangerous class); editors of newspapers, 
religious and political, (Government don't like them); 
soldiers, sailors and privateersmen, (called by courtesy 
"pirates.") As much of what the world calls "good 
society," and perhaps more of intelligence and cultivated 
intellect, may be found within the walls of this prison 
than could be found outside of it, even in a party of the 
same number selected for the purpose, and in the average 
of the aggregate, far more than would be met with in our 
fashionable places of resort. 

Twenty-seven of them are prisoners of war, and of course 
subject to all the chances of war ; they know why they are 
here. The other ninety are called "Prisoners of State," a 
term happily hitherto unknown on this side of the Atlantic, 
were nearly all taken from their beds at night by gangs of 
armed men, by the orders of Wm. H. Seward, the Secre- 
tary of State, not permitted to pack their clothing, or even 
see their families ; many of them confined in loathsome 
jails (in chains or not, according to the whims of their 
guards) before reaching here ; none of them arrested by 
any warrant or process of law, but hurried oft' by night to 



28 

prevent the possibility of any rescue by means of the law, 
and not one of them knowing ivhy he was arrested, or the 
existence of any charge against him. Who could have 
believed, a year since, that in that short space of time a 
state of affairs would exist here that could only find a 
parallel in the worst days of Italy or Austria ! Who does 
not remember how our sympathies were excited, and our 
indignation aroused, but a few years since, in reading the 
accounts of midnight domiciliary arrests in Vienna, Venice 
or Naples, and how we wondered that a people could be so 
debased and degraded as to submit to it ; and yet we now 
see the same despotic tyranny exercised in our boasted 
land of freedom, only by a mechanism a thousand times 
coarser and more brutal, and a large portion of the people 
absolutely applauding it, glorying in the shame, and 
boasting of the degredation and destruction of the liberties 
of their country. 

"CASTE AT FORT LAFAYETTE. 

" Treason is frequently regarded as a gentlemanly crime, and the per- 
son guilty of it often pretends to a daintiness to which common felons are 
forbidden to aspire. Hence the traitors in the present rebellion claim and 
receive British sympathy, not because they do not richly deserve the 
halter, but because they are "gentlemen." The Tories of the Revolu- 
tion made similar pretensions. Rev. Dr. Duche once wi'ote a letter to 
General Washington, urging him to abandon the patriot cause on the 
ground that he was a gentleman, whereas the members of Congress from 
New England and other Revolutionary leaders were not. 

" A gentleman of this city, a native of a Southern State, having occasion 
to visit Fort LaFayette, was addressed upon this subject. He found there 
ninety-seven prisoners, divided, like Hindoo society, into four castes, 
each possessing a social status of its own. 

" 'When we first came here,' said his informant, 'we suffered much in- 
convenience, and our residence was made disagreeable. We were asso- 
ciated promiscuously together, not classified, and were confounded with 
the vulgar characters whom the Government had seen fit to incarcerate 
with us. Gentlemen of refined tastes were compelled to associate with 
traders, common sailors, and the like; to sit at the same table and eat 
similar food. It is now improved. There are ninety-seven of us here, 
and we have been divided into groups and companies, more in accordance 
with our tastes, making it much pleasanter. 

" ' Thus we have here a number of sailors. They constitute two classes. 
One class is made up of pirates outright, who enlist without regard to 



29 

principles or conseqiiences. The other is composed of seamen who have 
been employed on vessels which were attempting to run the blockade. 
They were generally engaged upon the pretext of being employed in the 
West India trade, and had no idea or knowledge of being concerned in 
acts of this character. 

" 'Then there is a third class — the traders. These are purely mercen- 
ary. They have been arrested and placed here for such offences as sup- 
plying arms and munitions of war to the Rebels, and would seldom omit 
an opportunity for traffic if money was to be made, no matter what was 
the character of the business. Gentlemen do not like to associate with 
such men on terms of familiarity. 

'"Among the gentlemen present are ex-Governor Morehead, Mr. 
Faulkner, Mr. Smith, Marshal Kane, the Police Commissioners of Balti- 
more, &c. These are State prisoners, and should be confined in a sepa- 
rate place. With them are others who belong to a sub- class — respectable 
men, but not moving in higher circles. The members of the Legislature 
of Maryland are of this character.' 

"As he was expatiating upon this subject. Marshal Kane came along 
and invited our informant to come and see the Legislature of Maryland at 
dinner. They were seated in an apartment at a plain pine table. The 
food was bread without butter, and coffee without milk. Each man had 
a tin cup, but no other table service. 

"The lack of these elegances greatly annoys the 'gentlemen' at Fort 
LaFayette, and they are of the opinion that they ought to be immured in 
some 'respectable' place of confinement. They would tolerate their con- 
dition of durance if their instincts were better regarded." — N. Y. Post. 

This is a specimen of the bogus letters that almost daily- 
appeared in the New York papers. No such visitor was 
at the Fort; no such conversation occurred. The sailors 
and privateersmen whom the writer separates into two 
classes were all kept in one room, and all in irons ; the 
other prisoners were herded together without any attempt 
at classification, save that about forty who had the means 
to incur the expense formed a mess, conducted by the Ser- 
geant's wife, who drew our rations and charged us in ad- 
dition fifty cents per meal and gave us her room to eat in. 

Another letter, published the same day in another New 
York paper, described our fare as fully equal to any of the 
New York hotels, and that we were given the roof of the 
Fort for a promenade, where we could be seen any evening 
enjoying the beautiful scenery and sunsets. Said roof was 
of shingles, covered with moss, and pitched at an angle of 
forty-five degrees. 



Among the ''prisoners of State" was one who received 
his discharge a few days since ; he was a poor deformed 
man, who made his bread by selling newspapers on the 
street ; and having been found with some contraband news- 
papers under his arm, (the New York Daily News,) was sent 
to Fort LaFayette ; his captors, perhaps getting ashamed 
of it, sent orders for his release on taking that universal 
panacea, the "oath of allegiance" to the United States 
"Government ;" he was sent for, and taken to the command- 
er's office, who asked him if he were willing to take the 
oath ; he replied, certainly he was willing to take any oath 
to obtain his release, and would, with pleasure, if desired, 
swear that he never was in Fort LaFayette^ and never heard 
of such a place ; the commander then commenced reading 
the oath, but the news-man stopped him, saying he would 
sign it and swear to it, but would not read or listen to it, 
as he did not care what it contained ; he accordingly took 
the oath in his own way, underwent the usual search^ and 
departed with as little weight on his conscience as if he 
had not gone through the necessary form. After "lock- 
up" played cards on the gun carriage with Mr, Harrison, 
Frank Howard, and Dr. Thomas, until nine and went to 
bed ; much annoyed during the night by several of the 
jDrisoners being sick and having to call the guard to take 
them to the rear, my bed being alongside the door, I was 
awakened frequently during the night, had to go out my- 
self, and in the dark fell over a broken flag staif in the 
yard and hurt myself badly — slept cold and restless. 

September 29. — Sunday. Up early, made a cup of coffee 
and smoked a cigar, the last one I had ; made bed and got 
ready for breakfast ; after breakfast, had a visit of inspec- 
tion from Commander Wood, the first time he has honored 
us with his presence ; then an official visit from the doctor 
of the garrison, first time we have seen him, although we 
tried very hard to get a sight of him two or three days 
ago, when one of the prisoners was sick ; pointed out 
to him the unhealthy condition of our quarters, and the 



31 

impossibility of preserving oiir health, if continued in them 
for any length of time. The doctor fully acknowledged 
the case, and promised to make a report setting forth the 
facts : said report, when he finds time to make it, will go 
to Commander Wood, then to Col. Burke at Fort Hamilton , 
then to General Scott, then to the War Department, and 
the answer will come hack through the same channels, so 
we may expect in a few weeks some answer to our appeal 
for a modification of our discomforts. On our arrival here, 
our pockets were emptied hy the commandant, who kindly 
took charge of our finances, and informed us he would 
accept our orders on him for necessary expenses, and prom- 
ised to send us a receipt for the money he had taken next 
morning ; as the receipt did not come, I sent a special mes- 
sage for it, and obtained it. 

Letters distributed to-day ; nothing for me ; no religious 
services ; so occupied the morning in promenading the 
court, in reading the newspapers and writing ; much diffi- 
culty to-day about water ; we were put on short allowance 
the day after we reached here, and to-day only permitted 
to draw a cup-full at a time, but so far have managed to 
secure a little to wash my face with ; what little we get is 
the dregs of the cistern ;* very offensive to the sight and 
smell ; I have counted in a single glass twenty fully devel- 
oped tadpoles, varying in length from a quarter to five- 
eighths of an inch — the barbarity of this treatment may 
be better understood when it is stated that fresh water is 
very abundant within half a mile, and there are empty 
cisterns in the Fort with a capacity of forty thousand gal- 
lons that could be filled by the water boats in the same 
manner as ships are supplied, at very little expense. I 
suggested this to the commander, who replied it could not 
be done without permission from Washington. 

*I have since been informed by array officers that the Fort had not been 
garrisoned for more than twenty years, and the cisterns had not been 
cleaned for that length of time, which accounts for their filthy condition ; it 
was not deemed necessary to clean them for the occupants of a "State 
Prison." 



32 

Dinner ^at four ; exercise and conversation until siXy 
when the doors are locked, and our allowance of ttoo can- 
dles cut up and distrihuted ; Mr. Harrison read a sermon 
for us ; went to bed at nine, and had a good night's sleep, 

September 30. Delightful morning ; feel very well^ and 
nearly over the soreness arising from my fall ; succeeded 
in getting permission from the commander to employ one 
of the soldiers to clean up our room. 

Heretofore we have had our washing done on the main 
land, through one of the sergeants, and very nicely done, 
at seventy-live cents per dozen ; orders were issued to-day 
that in future no clothes should he sent out of the Fort to 
he washed, and gentlemen who desired to have their clothes 
washed could have it done by sending them to the com- 
mandant's quarters, whose wife would superintend it ; don't 
exactly understand how the clothes of over a hundred per- 
sons can be washed inside the Fort when we can't get fresh 
water to wash our faces, and barely enough to quench 
our thirst ; rather think it is a financial scheme of the 
Governor to increase his own or his wife's revenue ; passed 
the morning as usual, reading, walking, &c.; after dinner 
Mr. Gruthrie, of Virginia, was sent for, and release tendered 
him on condition of taking the oath, which he declined, 
and returned to his quarters. 

Pla3^ed cards in the evening with Grovernor Morehead 
and Mr. Barr on the top of the washstand, find it better 
for that purpose than the gun carriage, but expect a table 
soon, having sent to New York for one. With our limited 
light it is impossible to read at night, and cards are our 
only means of beguiling the time. 

October 1. Best very much broken by the noise of the 
sick calling the Sergeant of the Guard to take them to the 
rear, the door is out of gear and opens with much difficulty 
and noise, and as my bed is but three feet from it, I get the 
full benefit ; did not get over two hours' sleep during the 
whole night. 



Mail this morning, brings nothing for me, five days 
here, and not a line from home ; occupied the morning in 
reading the papers, writing and visiting the neighbors; 
find many agreeable gentlemen among them. Mr. Henry 
May had a visit from one of his friends, a Major in the 
Federal army, and a long conversation with him. May 
freely stated the inhuman manner in which we were 
treated ; officer admitted it and plead stringency of orders 
from Washington, and want of accommodations at Fort 
LaFayette for so many prisoners, said the Government was 
preparing two Forts in Boston harbor for the reception of 
political prisoners, when they would be more comfortable ; 
this looks like a winter's confinement in the worst climate 
in the United States ; — if the arrangements are no better 
than here, we shall lose half our number before spring ; 
many of them being old men, and others very delicate and 
frail in their persons. 

After dinner, smoked and promenaded until sun-set, 
played euchre till nine and went to bed. 

October 2. Up at day-break, noisy and sleepless night 
among the sick; after breakfast visited the privateers' 
room ; found seventeen in the room, — found thirteen in 
chains, three cooking for the other prisoners, and one 
very ill, lying on the floor on a blanket, receiving no 
medical attention, ivhatever; no beds, and some without 
blankets ; (some discharged last week being British sub- 
jects, nevertheless required to take the oath of allegiance 
to the United States ;) took them some bologna sausage 
and my stock of soft bread, which I no longer require, 
and made a pitcher of lemonade for the sick man ; — two 
of the political prisoners released this morning; Mr. Fisk 
of New Orleans, who hought his way out,* and a Mr. Bate- 

* The only person who appeared to have free access to the Fort and the 
prisoners, was a lawyer from New York, William H. Ludlow, Esq. 

This gentleman, according to Fort gossip, had been at one time the lav/^ 
partner of Mr. Seward, and was ready, at any moment, for a proper 
consideration, to take up the case of any prisoner who was wearied of 



34 

man, an English subject, who was released through the 
intervention of Lord Lyons. Capital thing, now a days, 
to be a subject of Queen Victoria, wish my great-great 
grandfather had staid on to'ther side the water ; lost one 
of our room-mates, Mr. Pitts, who takes Mr. Fisk's 
vacant place in another room, but gained three others, 
who were brought in to-day, Mr. Loyall of Norfolk, Va., 
Mr. Stevens of Charleston, S. C, and Mr. Butt of Ports- 
mouth, Va.; all lieutenants in the Navy, just arrived from 
long voyages, knowing nothing of the state of affairs here, 
but being natives of the South, and refusing to engage in 
a war with their own people, taken out of their ships and 
sent here ; they were fortunate in bringing their mattresses 
and bedding with them, as nothing is supplied now to the 
new comers but an iron gridiron bedstead. 

Passed the balance of the morning in reading and visit- 
ing the other prisoners, sent very polite note to Sergeant of 
the Guard for a bottle of my whiskey ; (which was taken 
from me for safe keeping at the gate on my arrival) re- 
ceived it, took one drink and passed it round, bottle came 
back — empty. After dinner promenaded for an hour and 
retired to my den, received a few articles I ordered from 
New York, as did most of the others, small pine table, 
bucket, tin cup, wash bowl, &c., &c., and half a dozen 
candlesticks, and last, but not least, a box of good sjjerm 



Fort life ; he received a number of fees, but on the whole was not as 
successful, nor found it as profitable, as did an eminent lawyer of Balti- 
more, who was employed for the same purpose. Some of the prisoners 
were disposed to give Ludlow the preference, supposing his former con- 
nexion with Seward would give him the inside track — but, in November, 
an order came to Fort Warren, from Mr. Seward, repudiating lawyers in 
general and Ludlow in particular, and forbidding the prisoners to employ 
any of them, nevertheless, the Baltimore lawyer was subsequently and 
successfully employed. 

Ludlow, finding himself thus shut out, turned his attention to military 
matters and was made a Major and soon after a Colonel; he was the 
Military Secretary of General Dix, in Baltimore, and is now the Commis- 
sioner for the Exchange of Prisoners, in both positions I have always 
heard him kindly spoken of. 



35 

candles, so am now independent of the United States as far 
as artificial liglit is concerned ; threw away the candlestick 
bottles, lighted four candles, and in honor of the event, 
got up a game of euchre on my new pine table. Such a 
flood of light had never before been witnessed in Battery 
Koom No. 6, Fort LaFayette, and as merit always meets 
its reward (poetically) I won enough to pay for the light, — 
however, it won't amount to much, as none of the losers 
have a cent in their pockets, but to make the game more 
interesting, we imagined the money on the table. Went 
to bed at nine, and for the first time had an uninterrupted 
sleep till morning. 

October 3. Up at daylight and made a thorough ablu- 
tion, having contrived to get fresh water enough for the 
purpose ; spent a couple of hours in cleaning up my house- 
hold furniture, and finding places for it; find a gun car- 
riage almost equal to a closet for stowing things away. 

Visited sick privateer; Fort Doctor does not pay the 
slightest attention to him, Drs. Mills and Lynch of our 
party got permission to visit and attend to him — sent him 
some lemons and loaf sugar. 

Still no letter from home or from New York whither I 
wrote a week ago for bedding, &c., my letters have 
certainly been suppressed ; wrote home again ; seven of the 
privateers removed this morning to the jail in New York, 
leaving but ten in their room. 

Unexpected liberality to-day on the part of the Gov- 
ernment; each one in our room who was without bedding, 
furnished with a very good moss mattress, very scant in 
size, that is, in length, breadth and thickness; a pillow 
and pillow slip and two cotton sheets, great rejoicing 
thereat ; more trouble about drinking water, not allowed 
to draw a pitcher full, may take a glass to the pump — 
nothing more — great disgust of Dr. Thomas on viewing 
the small tadpoles in his glass of water as he held it up 
to the light to examine it, before putting it to his lips ; 
would have given a five dollar bill for his photograph at 



36 

tliat moment, with the expression of mingled horror, 
loathing and disgust depicted on his countenance; told 
him if the tadpoles could stand it, he certainly could, and 
down it went, with an awfully wry face. Lost another 
prisoner to-day, Mr. Guthrie of Petersburg, Virginia ; 
released on parole of honor not to visit or correspond with 
the South. 

Had a talk to-day with one of the sergeants about the 
insolent manner in which the sentries speak to the 
prisoners. The garrison consists of eighty-four men, all 
of them Irish except two sergeants, and one private, who 
is German ; the privates are, as a body, the most villian- 
ous looking set of miscreants I ever laid eyes on, and their 
behavior is in perfect consonance with their personal 
appearance ; several of them are known to the naval officers 
among us as having been in the marine service, and been 
drummed out as incorrigible. The three sergeants are 
really decent men in their sphere, were old army soldiers, 
sent to the Fort as drill officers, and possess as much in- 
telligence and more good manners than would be found in 
the average of the volunteer colonels and majors in the 
Federal service. 

The Lieutenant Commanding was a Baggage Master 
or Conductor on the Springfield Rail Road in Illinois, 
and was detailed by his employers to take charge of 
Mrs. Lincoln's baggage when she removed to Washington, 
which duty he performed so well, that he was rewarded 
with a commission in the United States regular army ; a 
coarse, vulgar fellow without the remotest idea of what 
belonged to his position as an officer in the army, or even 
the jailor of a political prison, — but with all the pomposity 
common to his class and calibre, when placed in a position 
above their capacity. 

The sergeant promised to do his best to stop the insolence 
of the soldiers. 

Usual game of cards in the evening ; a nice cup of tea 
made by Mr. Harrison, with some Maryland biscuit ; 
some fine music from Lieutenant Butt's violin, and to bed. 



3T 

October 4. Anniversary of my birth day, awoke with 
a severe headache, slept badly ; headache no doubt caused 
from breathing impure air, went to the privateers' room 
to see how the sick man was, found him no better. " Our 
keepers grow compassionate," guard came in to take the 
chains off the privateers' legs ; the chains give but a step 
of twelve inches, and noticed that the poor fellows, after 
they were off, from the force of long habit, still took the 
twelve inch step ; received letters from home, all well, 
spent the morning in writing and visiting neighbors, 
champagne at dinner to-day, present to our mess through 
Frank Howard, from Hiram Cranston, of the New York 
Hotel, enjoyed it very much. My talk with the sergeant 
about the insolence of the soldiers has had some effect, for 
this morning one of them came into our room, and said 
very politely, " Gentlemen, the hour for walking has 
arrived," and at eight o'clock another came in and 
said, '' G-entlemen, breakfast is ready," being the first 
time we have been recognized as Gentlemen ! in this den. 

Sick privateer removed to-day to hospital on Staten 
Island, through the representations of Mr. Henry May, 
who wrote to his brother. Colonel May, to use his influence 
to have him removed from here, where death was certain. 

Spent the afternoon as usual, smoking, walking and 
gossiping until lock-up, played cards for an hour with 
Harrison, Howard and Gordon, listened to some fine 
music from Lieutenant Butt's violin, and at the last tap 
of the drum went to bed. The drum tells us when to get 
up, when to go to our rooms, when to commence undress- 
ing, and when to put out the lights ; — I am getting quite 
accustomed to it. 

October 5. Awoke with severe pains in back and chest, 
and return of Lumbago; made coffee and drank an ex- 
cellent anti-fogmatic concocted by Colonel Kane ; after 
breakfast headache left me, and in all probability would 
not have returned had I not visited No. 3, where my 
friends had some good whiskey, and I took just one drink 



38 

too miTcli ; passed the morning as usual, reading the 
papers, writing and gossip. Dinner at four, champagne 
ao-ain, tlie last of Mr. Cranston's kind remembrance. At 
five o'clock ordered to our quarters and locked up for half 
an hour ; great commotion in the garrison, drums beat to 
arms, sally-port closed, and cannon fired immediately over 
us in the second story — sujiposed it was to drill the men 
for a sudden attack, but subsequently discovered it was to 
bring to a suspicious looking vessel that was passing out 
the harbor without answering the signal of the revenue 
cutter ; the firing of the cannon shook the old Fort to its 
foundation, and knocked the jilaster in large quantities 
from the walls in our room ; locked up again at six, and 
went to bed to the sound of Butt's violin. 

October 6. — Sunday. Good night's rest, although very 
warm and close, was aroused about ten o'clock last night 
by fresh arrival of prisoners — fourteen in number, all from 
Kentucky, two of them put in our room, making our num- 
ber now thirty-six. 

Most of them appear to be farmers, arrested doubtless 
to intimidate their respective neighborhoods ;* all of them 

* How far this supposition was true may be judged from the following, 
taken from the printed proceedings of the United States Senate — the sub- 
ject of arbitrary arrests being under discussion. 

Mr. Powell said he desired to show the particular nature of some of 
these cases of arrest, and the personal action of the Secretary of State. 
He read a letter from a citizen of Kentucky, who he said was highly 
respectable and an undoubted Union man, dated Maysville, May 5th, 1862, 
which says : 

' ' ' While Colonel Stanton of this city, was still a prisoner at Fort LaFay- 
ette, his brother-in-law, Colonel Throop, emjjloyed (through an agency) 
Mr. Charles T. Mitchell, of Flemingsburg, formerly a member of Con- 
gress from New Yoi'k, and as I knew an intimate friend and correspond- 
ent of Seward's, to accompany him (Throop) to Washington, to pi'omote 
Colonel Stanton's release. They were joined at Washington by Frederick 
Stanton, a brother of Colonel S. The three called on Seward, T. 
being introduced by M. They opened their mission by remarking that 
they had called to see him in reference to the Maysville prisoners. He 
abruptly replied that those prisoners would not be released. Fred, asked: 
' What are the charges against my brother ?' Seward replied : 'There arg 



39 

■without a particle of clothing, except what they had on, 
and no money, and most of them ragged and dirty ; Gov- 
ernor Morehead immediately set to work to procure clothes 
for them, which he did at his own expense. 

At ten o'clock. Lieutenant Stevens of the Navy read the 
Episcopal Church Service, and a sermon from Spurgeon, 
to a large audience, in our room, and in a very effective 
manner ; after service, visited a neighboring room where 
I found a handsome lunch set out, received partly from 
kind friends in Baltimore, and partly from New York ; 
cold ducks, pickles, brandy peaches, cheese, biscuits, &c., 
with some excellent whiskey, enjoyed it very much, 
regretted it was not in my power to reciprocate, wrote for 
an hour until dinner ; champagne again on the table, 
the kind gift of Pierce Butler, of Philadelphia, to our 
mess — water to-day undrinkable, each glass would average 
a dozen tadpoles from one-quarter to one-half inch long 
without counting the smaller fish ; can't use it without 
straining, made a private arrangement with sergeant 
Graves to furnish me with two pitchers of iced spring 
water, which he can get from the main land, to be 
delivered at sun-set, daily ; this enabled me to give a 

no charges against him on file,' and added that the business of his office 
pressed liim too much to entertain inquiries or give explanations. One 
inquired if it was his purpose to keep citizens imprisoned against whom 

no charge was made? He answered hastily: 'I don't care a d n 

whether they are guilty or innocent. I saved Maryland by similar arrests, 
and so I mean to hold Kentucky.' To this it was remarked that the Leg- 
islature and public sentiment of Kentucky were averse to such arrests. 

'I don't care a d n for the opinion of Kentucky,' he insultingly 

responded, adding that what he required was to hold her in the Union, 
and make her fight for it ; and then turning fiercely on Mitchell, demand- 
ed of him, 'Why the hell are you not at home fighting traitors, instead of 
seeking their release here ?' This is the substance of the interview, as 
related to me by Col. Throop.' 

"Mr. Powell also referred to a letter he had received from A. B. Eshel- 
man, a person whom he did not know, who stated that he is a citizen of 
Bourbon county, Ky. , and has been seven months a prisoner, without 
charge, &c. This letter is endorsed by L. C. Brown, Post Surgeon at 
Camp Chase, Ohio, saying he believed the statements therein to be true, 
and that Eshelman is a good Union man." 



40 

• glass of water to each of room-mates during the evening, 
r^ad Tennyson and Macauley until nine and went to bed. 

October 7. Usual morning routine, prison life becom- 
ing very monotonous, one day marvellously like another ; 
large arrival of prisoners to-day — three North Carolina 
gentlemen, passengers on board an English vessel from 
Halifax to Hatteras Inlet ; — not being aware of the cap- 
ture of the Forts, and seeing the Confederate flag still 
flying at Fort Hatteras, ran in and anchored under the 
guns of the Fort, and did not know any better until the 
Federal ofiicers came on board and took possession of them, 
Caj)tain Berry of Brooklyn, Commander of one of the 
New York and Charleston steamers, and eighteen sailors, 
taken from various vessels, which were captured while en- 
deavoring to run the blockade; most of them from English 
vessels ; they were all immediately put in irons and quar- 
tered in the privateers' room, making thirty in that room 
fourteen by twenty-two feet — and equalising the arch, but 
six and a half feet in height — almost, if not quite equal 
to the Black Hole of Calcutta — Captain Berry * placed in 

* Captain Berry was very mucli alarmed until lie readied our room, lie 
was kept in the Guard House until all the prisoners who came with him 
were ironed, and took it for granted he was to share their fate, until he 
was brought to other quarters, although naturally red in the face, he came 
in very pale ; we found him an agreeable companion, intelligent, and 
liberal with his means, he slept along side of me when Mr. Harrison left 
our room. He was released in the early part of May and died shortly 
after his arrival home in Brooklyn, from a fit of apoplexy, with which he 
had several times been threatened while in Fort Warren. He was the 
pioneer of steam navigation between New York and Charleston, and 
commanded the Steamer Columbia at the commencement of the War, his 
offence was hoisting the Palmetto flag while going into Charleston ; he 
made several trips after the secession of South Carolina, and was in the 
habit of displaying the State flag of South Carolina when entering Charles- 
ton harbor, and the United States flag when entering New York harbor. 
He was a large property holder in both cities. The telegram on which 
he was arrested described him as " a dangerous man going at large.'''' — 
The Palmetto flag had been used by him as above stated for fifteen years, 
as the private signal of his ship, a finer specimen of the frank, manly, and 
open hearted sailor, or a less ^' dangerous^ ^ man to the Government could 
not be found. 



41 

our room, made a bed for him witli my rocking chair and 
some benches, and a pallet of straw, — drinking water 
entirely out, received my two pitchers of ice water from 
sergeant Grraves and served it round in our room, a small 
glass full to each, played cards for a couple of hours and 
went to bed ; awful stench in room from some undiscovered 
cause, 

October 8. Awoke at day break after a good night's 
sleep, which surprised everybody in the room except the 
Governor, as all of them were awake most of the night 
from the stench and closeness of the room ; did not make 
coffee this morning as the tadpoles predominated over the 
water ; at nine, a north-east rain storm set in, which 
confined us to our rooms and compelled us to put on 
overcoats ; but we will be compensated by the cisterns 
being partially filled, which will give us water to drink. 
Mail came in, no letters for me, but received the Baltimore 
papers, the "American" full of lies in regard to us, and 
known to be so by the Editors, — had to remain in doors 
all the morning in consequence of the storm, very cold and 
raw, moderated in the afternoon sufficient to promenade 
for an hour ; usual game of cards in the evening, and to 
bed at nine. 

October 9. Very cold and raw morning ; how we are 
to remain here during the winter can't imagine, our 
room is very much exposed to the weather, with a brick 
floor and no fireplace ; and when the doors are shut, no 
light. The arrangements here for jjrisoners would dis- 
grace any half civilized nation. Had to read and w^rite 
to-day with an overcoat on and a blanket wrapped round 
me ;■ — heard from home, wife very much distressed at my 
absence, and th# prospect of its continuance; at noon 
Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Warfield, Mr. Daniel Warfield, and 
the sister and neice of Mr. Harrison, visited the Fort by 
special permit of G-eneral Scott, and were permitted to 
converse with their friends for an hour in the presence and 
2* 



42 

lieariiu'" of the (Jommandant ; saw them at a distance and 
thought it an unpleasant interview for all the parties ; 
they all seemed to think our detention would not he 
very long. 

Fourteen of the sailor prisoners discharged to-day — 
mostly suhjects of foreign powers, all of them required to 
take the oath of allegiance, — one of them, Captain Bark- 
lie of Nassau, Captain of an English vessel from Nassau 
to Charleston, prevented two or three of his own crew from 
taking the oath, by telling them they would lose the pro- 
tection of their own government, for which interference 
he is promised punishment, and will doubtless receive it.* 

Had a visit from Major Clitz^ an officer from Fort Ham- 
ilton, who went through our room, and agreed with us 
that the accommodations were disgraceful to the Govern- 
ment, but could do notliing for us, — was a soldier and had 
to obey orders, — said the scarcity of water should be obvia- 
ted by sending water from New York twice a week, — - 
advised us to draw up a statement of the facts and forward 
it to the President, — did so, which was signed by most of 
the prisoners ; wrote home giving some description of our 
prison life ; received a small lot of stationery, my portion 
of a present from Miss Lucas of Baltimore, to the Balti- 
more delegation, very opportune, for most of mine had 
been used by my fellow prisoners. 

After dinner, usual exercise, and cards at night with 
Messrs. May, Howard, and Thomas ; the drum sent us to 
bed at half past eight, the rules give us to 9.15, but to suit 
the convenience of somebody, the Fort clock is made too 
fast by three-quarters of an hour. 



* He did receive it, for a day or two afterwards he was removed to the 
common Jail in New York, and a couple of weeks afterwards sent to Bed- 
loe's Island, where he was kept inclose confinement;- — on the general 
transfer of prisoners to Fort Warren, he was sent thither and quartered 
in No. 45, — he was there, however, subject to no personal indignity, 
and in January was sent to New York, where they wanted him as a wit- 
ness in some trial for the condemnation of a ship; being an English sub- 
ject, T suppose he has been released. 



43 

October 10. Bad night's sleep ; mucli interruption from 
the sick calling the sentinel to take them to the rear ; 
morning very cold and unpleasant ; walked continually as 
the only means of keeping warm ; wrote to General Dix, 
asking him to have my lost baggage hunted up ; and home 
to say I was well, rather a story, for I am quite unwell to- 
day ; received a long letter from home ; wife very gloomy ; 
gloomy myself; can't help it ; why am I dragged from my 
home and family and incarcerated in this filthy prrison, 
without the slightest charge or accusation, and not even 
permitted to ask why this outrage has been perpetrated — 
can or will a just God permit these things to continue ?* 

This morning a boat arrived from New York with three 
thousand gallons of water, which was emptied into one of 
the cisterns ; it was badly wanted, for what little water 
that remained in the cistern had become too offensive to 
drink, even with straining. Weather cold and raw all 
day, wrote with overcoat on and blanket wrapped round 
my legs; how we will get through the winter if kept in 
this place, God only knows ; the Lumbago has returned, 
and it is with great difficulty and pain I can get up in the 
morning ; several of our number are now sick, and, in 
addition, a cutaneous disease has made its appearance 
among us; six of my room-mates are now affected by it; it 
is not the itch, although it has every appearance of it ; 
there is no hospital in the Fort, and the sick have to take 
their chance with the well. 

It is not permitted to have a light in the room for any 
purpose after quarter past nine o'clock ; Dr. McGill got 
permission to-day to use a light, temporarily, (but it must 



*The wife of one of my fellow prisoners writes to-day, that in company 
with one or two other ladies, she visited the President to obtain, if possi- 
ble, some modification of our treatment. 

The President received them very politely, listened to all they had to 
say, and informed them that he had nothing to do with the Baltimore 
prisoners, they were Seward's prisoners, and declined interference. 

From this we may infer that each head of the Government has his own 
set of captives, over whom he exercises exclusive jurisdiction and control. 



44 

"be put out immediately,) if he found it necessary to give 
medicine to the sick during the night, and it must be used 
for no other purpose. Took hut little exercise to-day, being 
cold and rainy, and suffering much from my hack ; after 
dark tried to pass an hour at cards hut had to give it up 
and go to hed. Another visit from the garrison doctor ; 
he don't think the cutaneous disorder spreading among us 
of any consequence. 

October 11. Passed a very restless night, suffered much 
from Lumbago, and scarcely able to get about this morn- 
ing; weather damp and murky; visited the "United 
States Hotel," as it is pleasantly termed by those who 
live at it, as do all but the forty who compose our mess ; 
inspected the food and table furniture — each boarder fur- 
nished with a tin plate and cup, an iron spoon and knife, 
four ounces of fat pork, a slice of bread and a tin cup of 
coffee, so-called, sweetened with molasses — tasted the cof- 
fee, but could not detect the presence of the berry, perhaps 
a chemical analysis might detect a trace of it, perhaps not. 
This is the bill of fare for breakfast and supper ; at dinner 
it is varied by the substitution of bean soup for coffee, and 
occasionally an Irish potato — an application for " more" 
would astonish the head cook as much as Oliver Twist's 
did the work-house beadle. 

Several other messes are now in process of formation 
who propose to draw their rations and cook them them- 
selves, with such additions as they can get from New 
York. Fifteen or twenty cents a day additional will ena- 
ble them to live very well, but they will find cooking in 
their rooms a great nuisance. 

A new prisoner came in to-day, Mr. De Costa, of Charles- 
ton, and one discharged, Mr. Anderson. Dr. McGrill, of 
Hagerstown, was sent for to the office, and offered his 
release on taking the new oath, but declined and returned 
to his room. 

Mr. Henry May received notice in the afternoon of the 
death of his brother. He asked permission of the Grovern- 



45 

ment some days since to visit his brother, that he might 
have the melancholy pleasure of being with him in his 
last moments, which was refused, but at eight o'clock this 
evening a message came that he might go to the funeral, 
on his parole of honor to return as soon as it was over ; he 
left immediately for New York ; hope he* will not return, 
as another month's confinement in this place will certainly 
kill him in his delicate state of health ; took a parting 
glass with him and sent message to my family. 

Marshal Kane was removed to-day to Fort Columbus, on 
Governor's Island, five or six miles from here. He has 
been very unwell for some time, and made such representa- 
tions of his condition as induced the Grovernment to remove 
him to Fort Columbus, where he will have much better 
quarters and larger space to exercise. 

October 12. Awoke much refreshed, slept better than 
for several nights ; weather cold, but clear and bracing ; 
put on overcoat and blanket to read the paper. Another 
arrival to-day, Mr. Carter, of Baltimore, an old friend ; 
surprised to see him here ; advised him to take Henry 
May's vacant place in our mess, which he did, and was 
very thankful when he found out how he would have fared 
had there not been a vacancy for him. Passed the day as 
usual, reading, writing, smoking and walking ; locked up 
in our rooms this morning for an hour while the garrison 
were firing on a passing vessel to bring her to, which they 
did with a vengeance — one of the balls passing clean 
througli her, as she did not come about as quick as the 
commander thought she might ; we could see the opera- 
tion through the embrasures in our room. On such occa- 
sions we are always locked up ; perhaps they think we might 
take the Fort while they are busy up stairs with the guns. 
Took Mr. Carter around and introduced him to make him 
feel as much at liome as possible ; played cards after dark 
with Grovernor Morehead and Mr. Barr, and went to bed 
at nine, after drinking an excellent cup of tea of Mr. Har- 
rison's concocting, and a brandy punch of my own. 



46 

October 13. — Sunday. Delightful morning, cold and 
bracing ; capital night's sleep and very much refreshed ; 
spent an hour in putting things to rights at my end of the 
room and in making coffee for as many of my immediate 
neighbors as the machine would admit of. At eleven 
church service and reading a sermon by Lieutenant Stevens 
to a very attentive audience ; special prayers offered for 
Mrs. George S. Gelston, a lady living opposite the Fort, 
who never lets a day pass without sending something to 
the prisoners, fruits, flowers, &c., and often more substan- 
tial articles, but for her the poor privateers and sailors 
would have been without clothing or shoes ; nor is her 
kindness confined to the prisoners here, those who have 
been removed to the jail in New York are -equally the re- 
cipients of her bounty. She was for a while prohibited by 
orders from Washington from sending anything to the 
prisoners, and wrote a letter to Seward in which she 
insisted on knowing whether, after having suspended the 
Habeas Corpus, the Constitution and the Laws of the coun- 
try, it was a part of his policy to suspend the Laws of Hu- 
manity. The letter was published^ and resulted in the 
restrictions on her charities being removed. After service 
read the newspapers from home and from New York, full, 
as usual, of lies in relation to Maryland ; exercise after 
dinner, and the evening church service read at five o'clock 
by Lieutenant Stevens ; after lock-up read the English 
papers — London Weekly Dispatch, Saturday Review and 
Dublin Times ; they seem to understand matters in this 
country better than nine-tenths of our own people. It is 
really refreshing after reading the scurrilous political pa- 
pers of this country to pick up a dignified English Maga- 
zine or Review ; a cup of tea made by Mr. Harrison, a nice 
punch, and to bed. 

October 14. Very cold morning ; had to wear over- 
coats and blankets to enable me to read the papers ; if the 
devil don't get the people who have charge of us it 
would be as well to abolish the office of devil altogether 



47 

as useless ; received letters to day from C. W. Lentz, Balti- 
more, and Frank Inloes, New York, asking what they 
could do for me ; also from Wm. Jones, New York, send- 
ing me a very acceptable supply of bed clothing, of which 
I was much in need ; wrote to him for a feather bed and 
some other articles which I want. This morning Wm. L. 
Montague, of Baltimore^ sent us a barrel of stores, every- 
thing good he could think of. May God bless him. 

Several prisoners released to-day, Mr. Wilder, Mr, Stan- 
nard and Mr. Payne ; could not ascertain the conditions of 
their release ; and one new arrival. Colonel Tyler, of the 
Confederate Army, who was quartered in our room ; usual 
routine for the day and evening — cards at night, would 
have read in preference but had not sufficient light and 
quiet ; my end of the room is getting to be a favorite jalace 
for loafers. 

October 15. Much trouble among the sick last night, 
aggravated by the refusal of the Cor23oral of the Guard to 
permit a light in the room to give medicine by, notwith- 
standing the commandant had given permission to that 
effect ; told the corporal that one of the prisoners was very 
sick, he replied he did not care if there was, we should not 
have a light, so sick man had to go without his medicine. 

Beautiful, bright and pleasant morning, more like May 
than October ; was locked up for an hour while they were 
firing at some passing vessel ; at twelve they commenced 
firing minute guns for the death of General Gibson, the 
first one of which knocked the glass out of the embrasure 
window next to me, and the succeeding ones demolished 
sashes of most of the other embrasures ; this may be 
regarded as a calamity, as it is not likely they will be 
replaced for weeks, and we shall have no protection what- 
ever from the weather, unless we board them up, which 
will shut out what little of light we have. 

Number of prisoners in the Fort to-day — room No. 1, ten; 
No. 2, eleven ; No. 3, nine ; No. 4, nine ; No. 5, thirty- 
five ; No. 6, thirty-seven. Quite an amusing incident 



48 

occurred tins morning: one of the Kentucky "prisoners of 
State," wlio is half an idiot, went on the Fort wharf 
(which was against the rules) and stood there for some 
time looking at a vessel that had brought a load of fire- 
wood for the Fort ; one of the sentinels noticing him, and 
supposing him to he one of the crew of the vessel, went up 
and ordered him to go on hoard, and not dare to come on 
the wharf again without permission ; this the fellow refused, 
insisting that he had as good a right in the Fort as the 
soldier had ; quite an altercation ensued, when the senti- 
nel attempted to drive him on board at the point of the 
bayonet, but " Kentucky" was too much for him ; some of 
the guard came to the rescue, and one of them, recognising 
the prisoner, stopped the fray and took him inside the 
Fort. "Kentucky" had no idea of being driven from his 
home in such an unceremonious manner. Three of our 
room-mates this morning removed to an adjacent battery 
room, hitherto unoccupied, and seven taken from another 
crowded room, relieving both rooms very much ; the ten 
propose forming a mess and cooking their own rations, 
and have sent to New York for a stove for the purjjose. 

Mayor Brown had a visit to day from his wife, son and 
daughter, by permission of General Scott, and remained 
with them several hours, but in the presence of an officer. 

Wrote long letter to wife, she does not get half the 
letters I write her, getting very tired of my imprisonment 
as the excitement and novelty pass off", and begin to feel 
gloomy at the prospect of remaining here during the 
winter — -new. order posted in our rooms to-day, " Prisoners 
are forbidden to speak to, or recognize any visitors." Some 
of us had touched our hats to Mrs. Brown as she stood on 
the balcony opposite our quarters, and such a breach of 
discipline cannot be permitted. 

October 17. Quite unwell this morning, head-ache and 
severe pain in the back ; weather cold and raw, with 
North-east wind. Mail came in, no letters for me, made 
half a dozen cups of coffee for some of the boarders at the 



49 

"United States Hotel," which they relished very much; 
the stuff the Government calls coffee is warm water sweet- 
ened with molasses ; the presence of coffee cannot be de- 
tected by the taste, although no doubt some is put into the 
liquid. Two of our number released to-day, Mr. Muir, of 
Charleston, on condition he would go to Europe, and re- 
main there during the war, and Mr. Chapin, of Mississippi, 
on parole not to return to, nor correspond with the South. 
Received box from home filled with good things, — after 
dark had a nice set out for the whole room, the Govern- 
ment boarders enjoyed it very much ; during the evening 
Dr. Thomas went to one of the embrasure windows to get 
a little fresh air, as the room was very close, sentinel on 
the outside ordered him away, and informed him that he 
would "blow out his brains if he did not leave the window 
immediately ;" Doctor left. 

October 18. Awoke very much refreshed from a good 
night's sleep, without disturbance ; weather raw and rainy ; 
occupied the morning in cleaning up my end of the room, 
including the gun carriage, which answers very well for 
shelving ; the mail came in — received a very pleasant let- 
ter from wife ; all well at home. 

Another arrival in the morning, Mr. Isaac G. Mask, of 
Baltimore ; Mr. Harrison left our room this morning to go 
into number three, where there is a vacancy ; sorry to part 
with him — he was my next neighbor, and almost my bed- 
fellow, for there was but six inches between us ; general 
regret expressed at parting with him, he was so kind 
and attentive to the sick, and generally useful, glad, how- 
ever, that he will be more comfortable, as the room he 
removes to has a fire place in it. Governor Morehead 
also left us for the same room, and while consoling our- 
selves for their absence with the thought that we should 
have more room, three new prisoners were brought in, and 
quartered on us, Drs. Page and Lindsey, and Lieutenant 
Dalton of the Navy, just returned from sea, sent hither 
because they would not take the new oath of allegiance ; 
3 



50 

got them fixed for sleeiDing by contribution, as the Gov- 
ernment has run out of bedsteads, straw and blankets ; 
fortunately they have their own mattresses and blankets 
which will arrive in a day or two. 

New regulations posted to-day in all the rooms ; we are 
forbidden to write long letters, and must write to our cor- 
respondents that their letters to us must be very short, 
and very plainly written ; our correspondence is read 
partly by Lieutenant Wood, and partly by Colonel Burke, at 
Fort Hamilton, and must consume a great deal of their time, 
as they do not mail our letters for three or four days after 
they are written, or deliver them for three or four days 
after tlieir arrival, it takes eight days to get an answer 
from New York, and ten days from Baltimore ; when our 
letters contain any objectionable matter, they are returned 
to us with the endorsement of Colonel Burke, stating the 
cause; the Colonel's early education has evidently been 
sadly neglected, as his chirography is almost undecipher- 
able, and he spells "female" with a "phe." 

I complained one day to the Commandant, of the delay 
in mailing our letters ; he excused himself on the ground 
that he had so many other duties to perform, and that he 
had to take extracts from the letters, such as would give 
any information to the Grovernment, particularly such as 
related to the financial affairs of the writers, adding, that 
" he got a great deal of information from them/'* 



*As I avoided political matters as mucli as possible in my corres- 
pondence, it was rarely interfered with, that is, it was not returned to me, 
although many of my letters failed to reach my family, and I seldom 
wrote to others. 

One specimen, however, of the paternal care exercised by the authorities 
at Washington may be cited. 

My wife, in writing to me on purely domestic matters, proposed sending 
one of our daughters to school, to Streeter's, a teacher of some note in 
Baltimore, and asked my views about it; not being at the moment very 
amiably disposed towards Yankees or Abolitionists — I replied — 

" Streeter is a Yankee Abolitionist and has contributed his full share 
in producing the causes which have disrupted the country and sent me to 
Fort LaFayette, and I do not desire any of our children placed under his 



51 

Another order posted to-day, forbidding the use of any 
liquor among the prisoners, except a limited quantity on 
the dinner table of our mess. The Commandant expressed 
himself, a day or two since, that we had entirely too many 
privileges and has commenced curtailing them ; great 
consternation and indignation among those who are in the 
habit of taking an appetiser before dinner, and a settler 
after dinner, — in the evening read the English papers 
until nine. 

October 19. Slept but little last night ; shortly after 
getting to sleep was awakened by the groans of Mr. Carter, 
who had the cramp colic very badly — got up and boiled 
some water with my spirit lamp for him to drink with 
mustard ; Dr. McGill succeeded in relieving him in about 
an hour ; the doctor made him drink as much mustard and 
hot water as I thought would have killed two men ; told 
the doctor so, he laughed and said that in such cases a 
mustard plaster inside was more effective than one outside ; 
had to get special permission from the Sergeant of the 
Guard to light the candle to give Carter his medicine, who 
granted it for only five minutes ; no candles given out last 
night ; Government run out of candles ; fortunately, sev- 
eral of us have received some from New York. 

Dull, foggy morning ; every thing saturated with mist ; 
matches all spoiled from damp ; green mould appearing in 
spots on the gun carriage ; horrible place this for well peo- 
ple, to say nothing of the sick ; lost another prisoner to- 
day, Mr. Walker, of New York. 

After dinner, a new order posted on the walls ; no liquor 
allowed on our mess table ; total prohibition ; in the after- 
noon, the Doctor wanted some of his oivn whiskey to rub 
the chest of one of the sick, and it was refused, even for 
that purpose ; played cards for a couple of hours and went 
to bed ; room horribly close and damp. 

guidance, send her to some other school." The Commander considered 
this of sufficient importance to send the letter to Washington ; the author- 
ities there, after carefully erasing that portion, mailed the letter to 
my wife. 



52 

October 20. Arose witti bad headache from closeness 
of the room ; dissipated by a cup of coffee, together with 
an hour's walk in the cool bracing air ; the storm having 
passed. 

Church service at eleven o'clock by Lieutenant Stevens ; 
not so well attended as on last Sunday, only about fifty of 
the prisoners present ; weather so pleasant after several 
days of fog and mist, that many preferred walking in the 
yard ; was informed that his excellency Grovernor Morgan 
of New York, having our spiritual welfare at heart, would 
send us a preacher, if we desired it — declined it, as we did 
not want any religious adviser of his choosing. 

No letters distributed since Friday, although they arrive 
regularly every morning ; fear our correspondence is to be 
stopped. This morning, James M. Haig, of Baltimore, 
whose mind has been giving way for several days, was 
taken to the guard house, and placed in close confinement ; 
no one permitted to see him ; he thinks his room mates 
intend to kill him ; the Commandant thinks he is sham- 
ming. 

Dreadful long faces to-day, ''water, water, everywhere, 
and not a drop to drink !" great outcry against the tyranny 
of depriving a man of his own liquor, sentinels growing 
more impudent, symptoms all round showing increased 
stringency in the discipline ; ofiicial notice given to-day, 
that in future the allowance of candles would be reduced 
to one candle per night for the battery rooms, and half a 
candle for the casemates; fortunately our supply from 
New York has not given out, and I wrote to-day for more. 

It was stated to-day that the order to stop all liquor 
came from Colonel Burke, on the representation of Lieuten- 
ant Wood, that the sentries had been made drunk on liquor 
given them by the prisoners, which was false ; the fact is, 
the sentries by some means got access to the room where 
our liquors were stored, and for some time past have been 
liberally stealing them, and as they got drunk, it was 
necessary to charge it on somebody, and the result is that 
■our grog has been stopped, and Colonel Burke is very 



53 

'^ indignant ;' ' a bottle of blackberry brandy of mine, whicli 
I was keeping for medicinal purposes, was in the store- 
room on Friday night, and on Saturday morning I found 
tbe empty bottle with several others on the wood pile 
outside the Fort, 

Two of the sentries who got drunk and refused to tell 
where they got the liquor, have been undergoing punish- 
ment for three days past ; as flogging has been humanely (?) 
abolished in the army, other punishments have to be resort- 
ed to, one is compelled to walk twelve hours a day with his 
hands ironed behind his back, and sixty pounds of bricks 
in his knapsack, strapped to his back, (he has not a 
particle of stoop in his shoulders,) the other has his hands 
ironed behind, with a bar of iron fastened to the cuffs to 
keep his arms in one position ; his legs chained together 
and mounted on the top of an empty barrel in the centre 
of the parade ground ; one of the Irish washwomen 
occasionally holds a cup of water to their lips, and from 
their woe-begone appearance to-day, one would suppose 
they might now safely be trusted with untold whiskey ; 
towards evening, a third one made his appearance on the 
parade ground, with his hands behind him and the bricks 
on his back ; he was detected in substituting blocks of 
wood for the bricks in the knapsack of number one, who 
was his particular friend ; a fourth one had offended, but 
the Commandant contented himself by kicking the culprit 
down stairs, using his foot with great effect. 

Evening prayers read by Mr. Stevens at five, read 
Macauley until nine^ and to bed. 

October 21, Excellent night's sleep, the cool weather 
has much improved the condition of our room ; made coffee 
for half a dozen, the best I ever made, having invented a 
new process for concocting it ; received a long and pleasant 
letter from my eldest daughter, all well at home, they had 
a visit from Henry May who gave them a satisfactory 
account of our mode of life ; received box from New York, 
with feather bed and some bedding I wrote for, for myself 



54 

and friends. New arrival to-day, Mr. Shaver, from To- 
ronto, Canada; suppose as he is a " British subject" he 
will be released as soon as the British Consul hears of his 
imprisonment ; lucky thing now-a-days to have been born 
in England, or any where outside of the "Land of the 
Free and the Home of the Brave!" Strong symptoms 
to-day of rebellion against the new liquor law ; as I have 
a small private stock stowed away in the gun-carriage it 
don't affect me, but as it is generally known I have it, it 
does seriously affect my stock, which is rapidly dimin- 
ishing. 

Haig raving mad to-day ; Commandant won't let any of 
his friends see him, or even the doctors among us ; during 
the evening his shrieks could be heard all over the Fort ; 
he was put in double irons and gagged ; small chance for 
his life, as the Surgeon of the Garrison lives on the main 
land, and only occasionally visits the Fort. British Con- 
sul, from New York, came in the afternoon to look after 
British subjects ; pity we had not an American Consul to 
look after American subjects. Shaver sent a note to the 
Consul by one of the sergeants, informing him of his 
arrest ; sergeant handed the note to the Consul instead of 
giving it to Lieutenant Wood, and letting it reach its 
destination in that way, for which blunder, sergeant was 
put in the guard house. Consul demanded to see Mr. 
Shaver ; was told he could not see him without a permit 
from Mr. Seward.* 

After dark played cards for a couple of hours. 



* Shaver accompanied us to Fort Warren, and early in November re- 
ceived a letter from Lord Lyons, stating that he had failed to obtain from 
Mr. Seward, either his discharge or the reasons for his arrest, and had 
referred the case to the Government at home. Shaver in the meantime 
was offered his release on condition of his taking the oath of allegiance to 
the United States ; he was finally released about the first of January. His 
case was brought before the House of Lords in February, and elicited a 
long debate, several of the speakers insisting that the Government should 
sustain Mr. Shaver's claims for damages. 



55 

October 22. Slept soundly last night in my new bed ; 
fellow-prisoners say I am getting too luxurious and must 
be taken down ; morning cold and bracing. Writing 
alongside a thirty-two pound cannon, on the gun carriage, 
on a brick floor, without fire, and the door wide open to 
give light to write by, is getting rather uncomfortable, 
still I stand it very well. Auother arrival this morning, 
Mr. Pierce, of New Orleans, and three discharges yester- 
day, Messrs. Sullivan, Corrie and P., the latter has been 
here only a week, and is generally believed to be a Govern- 
ment spy, the former is a lawyer in New York, who volun- 
teered his services as counsel to defend the privateers, and 
was immediately arrested and sent here. An hour after 
his release an order came revoking it, but he had gone and 
they let him alone. 

Some ten days ago a petition was sent to the President, 
signed by all the Doctors in the Fort and the Surgeon of 
the Garrison, for the release of Mr. Quinlan, of Baltimore 
county, on the score of ill-health, all expressing their 
belief that he could not survive a protracted confinement; 
he has for a long time been afflicted with a chronic dysen- 
tery ; yesterday he was sent for to go to the ofiice, and 
offered his release if he would take the new oath of allegi- 
ance to the Government, and give his parole of honor, not 
to return to the State of Maryland ; the former he was 
willing to do, in view of his physical condition, but 
declined the latter, as he had no place but his home to go 
to ; this looks like an intention on the part of the Govern- 
ment to exile us ; in fact they appear to be embarrassed to 
know what to do with us. 

Played cards in the evening with Dr. Thomas and Mr. 
Barr, of Kentucky, until nine. 

October 23. Excellent night's sleep ; new bed and clean 
linen sheets act like a charm ; was aroused about daylight 
by the shrieks of Haig, who is now raving mad ; could 
discover by the suppressed stifle, that the guards were again 
ga,gging him ; no one permitted to see him ; made coffee 



56 

for myself and immediate neighbors; two new prisoners 
to-day — Flanders brothers, from New York State, editors 
of newspapers, who preferred peace to war, and hence are 
here;* and one release, Mr. McMasters, of New York, edi- 
tor of the '■'■Freeman's Journal," which v^as siif)pressed by 
the Government some time since — its title not correspond- 
ing with the times ; he took the oath annexed to a written 
protest against its legality, and the outrage to his person 
and property in arresting him and suppressing his paper ; 
query? how much does Mr. Seward care for that? Took 
cold to-day — which settled in my head and eyes ; nearly 
blinding me ; could not see during the afternoon to read 
or write ; and went to bed at six o'clock ; laid awake until 
twelve with intense pain in my eyes— and had an uneasy 
sleep the balance of the night. 

October 24. Cold much better, and pain in the eyes 
nearly gone ; weather very cold ; read the papers and 
wrote, wrapped up in blankets ; at eleven o'clock, steam 
tug came with our stoves and carpets, the latter, made of 
coarse plaited rope which will hold all the dirt that can 
be got into the interstices ; carpet put down ; two strips 
the length of the room, and one at the foot of each row of 
beds ; stoves brought in, but not fixed up. 

Two prisoners discharged to-day : Mr. Suable, of Penn- 
sylvania, and Captain Hagelin, of Baltimore, — the former 
swearing vengeance against Simon Cameron, who, he in- 
sists, had him arrested for private reasons ; the latter, the 
master of a bay schooner running between Baltimore and 
the Patuxent river, who says he was taken out of his ves- 

* F. D. Flanders was the editor of the '■^Franlclin Gazette,''' Malone^ 
New York, at the time of his arrest — his paper was interdicted through 
the mails — his wife, a spunky woman, contini;ed to publish it: writing 
the editorials herself, and having it distributed through the adjacent coun- 
ties by special carriers; notwithstanding the prohibition, copies of the 
paper would occasionally reach the Fort, and the spicy editorials of the 
lady editor afibrded us much amusement. 

His brother, James R. Flanders, was a lawyer, and subsequently elected 
to the bench ; Governmeiat made nothing out of the arrest of either. 



57 

sel in the river by one of the tng boats : does not know 
why ; and has never heard of his vessel since ; and don't 
know why he is released ; he has been here nearly three 
months. 

Haig, the crazy man, worse to-day ; tried to get out of 
the guard house — and although heavily ironed, it took five 
men to hold him ; I witnessed it, and with the supernatural 
strength madmen have, he knocked the soldiers about as if 
they were so many children ; finally they were compelled 
to use the butts of their guns before they could get him 
back. 

Two more of the soldiers j)romenading the parade 
ground to-day with their knapsacks full of bricks and 
their arms ironed behind their backs ; their offence is 
smuggling liquor into the Fort ; the severest punishment 
I ever saw ; No. 1, S23oken of last week, continues his 
daily walk of twelve hours, and No. 2 still acts as over- 
seer from the head of his barrel : No. 3, who substituted 
the blocks of wood for the bricks in the knapsack of his 
friend, was relieved after a couple of days punishment ; it 
would be much better to tie them up and flog them, but 
the regulations of the army forbid it. 

Played cards for a couple of hours after dark, and just 
as I was going to bed, the door was opened and a new 
prisoner thrust in, and the door closed and locked without 
any remark or explanation from the sergeant ; the most 
bewildered man I ever saw; looking at him a moment I 
recognized him as one of my youthful acquaintances. Dr. 
Jeff'rey, of the navy, a native of Virginia, who had just 
returned from the coast of Africa, and declining to take 
the oath, taken out of his ship and sent hither ; they would 
not give him time to get his baggage, so he came among 
us entirely destitute, had to stir myself to get a bed fixed 
for him on some benches, before the drum told us to j)ut 
out the lights. 

To me, it appears one of the most barbarous and dis- 
graceful features of this war, to take Southern gectlemen, 
who have made it a point of honor to bring their ships 



58 

into Northern ports, and resign their commissions, when 
they might have with perfect ease, taken them into South 
ern ports ; and immediately on their arrival send them as 
prisoners to the Forts.* I am sometimes disposed to agree 
with one of the English reviews I received last week, in 
the assertion, that '^ whatever may be the result of the 
war, one result is certain, that of thoroughly brutalizing 
tlie Northern mind." 

October 25. Cold, clear morning, slept well last night, 
had to dress in the dark as it is too cold to open the doors ; 
read for a couple of hours at one of the embrasures, 
wrapped up in blankets, and walked for an hour to get 
warm ; stoves in the room, but stove pipes not yet arrived. 

Grand distribution of furniture to-day, I got a chair, a 
pitcher that was stolen five minutes afterwards, a good 
writing table and a husk mattress, six inches too short 
and ten inches too narrow for my bedstead ; increased the 
size of it with boards, and with my own bedding on top, 
and a pair of clean linen sheets and pillow slips, and my 
new blue and white marseilles quilt, made a bed that was 
the remark and envy of the whole party. Dr. Nathan R. 
Smith, of Baltimore, sent us a large box of his splendid 
grapes, which was received to-day ; it was a present to the 
Baltimore delegation; I picked out a bunch for myself and 
put it carefully away under the gun carriage, intending 

''The most of this class of prisoners were exchanged from time to time 
during the winter ; their exchange was a matter of special negotiation in 
each case, for some particular prisoner in Richmond whose friends in the 
North were anxious to have released. 

The difficulty arose from the refusal of the Southern Government to 
place on an equality, as subjects for exchange, officers who were fairly 
taken in battle against officers who were kidnapped in Northern ports on 
their return from service abroad. Many of those gentlemen had oppor- 
tunities to leave their ships, while in the West Indies and elsewhere, and 
return to their homes in the South, but declined deserting their trust until 
they handed over their ships to the Government, and then resigned, im- 
mediately to be arrested, and in some instances confined in common jails 
until the officers were ready to take them to some of the Forts. 



59 

to eat it at night, and distributed the balance of my share 
among my room mates; when I went to get it after dark, 
found somebody had stolen it, so got none of the grapes ; 
inquired, but nobody took it. 

About nine o'clock, another prisoner was unceremoni- 
ously thrust into our room, who looked as bewildered as 
did Dr. Jeffrey, recognized him also as one of my early 
acquaintances. Captain Shields, formerly of the United 
States Army,* a native of Virginia, but a resident of 
Vermont ; he too, was without baggage or bedding, put 
three benches together and made a bed for him ; he was 
much astonished at the looks of things in general, had 
been informed by the Marshal that he would be provided 
with "furnished quarters." 

October. 26. Slept well, was not disturbed by the sick 
during the night; rainy morning, but not so cold as yester- 
day, remained in doors, reading and writing. Noticed a 
new face on the barrel in the parade ground, the old occu- 
pant had been taken down, and set to walking, the offence 
of the new one is said to be insolence to the commanding 
officer ; if every soldier who had been insolent to us were 
punished in the same way, the parade ground would be 
full of barrels ; some of the gentlenien think it a cruel 
and barbarous mode of punishment ; j^erhaps it is, but my 
compassion for the miserable wretches is considerably 
lessened from the fact that those who are undergoing the 
punishment, are those who have been most prominent in 
their insolence to us ; even S. says, that if the Lord 

* Captain H. L. Shields was a native of Norfolk, Va., and of course an 
object of suspicion, although he had been for many years a resident of 
Vermont, the more so, as he had a brother in the Confederate service. 
He was on his farm, near Bennington, superintending his laborers, when 
a messenger arrived, stating that a friend of his was at the Railroad 
station, and desired to see him before the train started ; on repairing to 
the station in company with the messenger, instead of his friend, he found 
two United States Marshals, who immediately seized him, put him on 
the train and took him to Fort LaFayette, without permitting him to see 
or inform his family of his arrest, or to obtain a change of clothing. 



60 

will forgive him for what he has done in behalf of the 
Irish in past years, he will promise to sin no more. 

Usual routine for the day ; reading, writing and exercise 
until the drum beat for us to go to our rooms ; took tea 
with the new mess at the other end of our room, and 
helped the set out with some of my own stores ; their 
cooking apparatus will not improve the atmosphere of our 
room. Played euchre with Dr. Lindsey, Messrs. Pierce 
and Barr until tattoo. 

October, 27. — Sunday. About ten o'clock last night, 
just as I was getting to sleej), the alarm was given that 
one of the prisoners had escaped, but was in a few minutes 
retaken, — it turned out to be Mr. Lowber, of New Orleans, 
who was arrested on his way home from Europe ; — he had 
by some means got the iron bars of the embrasure window 
open, and crawled through in nearly a nude state, having 
packed his clothes in a tub, and put a life preserver round 
him, expecting to be able to swim to the main land ; he is 
a tolerably old man, very deaf, and can't see without 
glasses, and is evidently crazy to think of such a thing 
with the tide running four or five miles an hour, and the 
almost certainty of being chilled to death, before he could 
reach the shore ; he was taken to the guard house, and 
put in double irons, where he will doubtless remain until 
the Commandant thinks him sufficiently punished ; he 
begged them to let him have his bed, but they refused ; 
all they would give him was a brick to put under his head. 

He must have had some understanding with the senti- 
nel whom he expected to be on guard at that particular 
part of the Fort on the outside, and made some miscalcu- 
lation about the time ; after he got outside, and was discov- 
ered, the sentry commenced calling lustily for the Ser- 
geant of the Guard ; those near the window who could 
hear what was going on, say that when Lowber found he 
had made a mistake in the sentinel, he offered him his 
Avatch and forty-five dollars in gold that he had with him 
to let him go ; the sentinel replied, " it is too late, I have 



61 

called the Sergeant!" This morning the baggage and 
bedding of some of those in the same room were searched 
under the suspicion that they were preparing for a similar 
attempt, nothing however was found ; I witnessed the 
search, which was done in a very offensive manner.* 

Early this morning, before I was up. Lieutenant Wood 
entered the room with an officer in an undress uniform ; 
supposing it to be another prisoner I remonstrated against 
his bringing any more prisoners into our already over- 
crowded room ; he informed me it was Colonel Burke, his 
superior officer. 

Burke is commander of the Forts Hamilton and LaFay- 
ette, the latter being a dependency of the former ; he 
resides at Fort Hamilton, and this is the first time he has 
been at Fort LaFayette since the 5th of August, although 
it is only half a mile distant, leaving its government en- 
tirely to Lieutenant Wood, who styles himself " Lieuten- 
ant Commandant," and always writes it in full with a 
large flourish ! 

The object of Colonel Burke's visit to our room was not 
to inspect it, but to loan Captain Shields, who was an old 
comrade of his, and served with him in Mexico, a clean 
shirt ; this done, he took his departure, without looking 
round or speaking to any other prisoner ; this was the first 
and the last we ever saw of our commander-in-chief. 



*The day before we left Fort Lafayette, Lowber's irons were taken off, 
and be was returned to his room ; on the voyage to Fort Warren, he 
planned another escaj^e, but was dissuaded by his friends, and again at 
Fort Warren, a letter of his to Boston was intercepted, where he wrote 
for two life preservers to be sent in a barrel of ajiples, but the officers 
took no notice of it. 

He was a wealthy machinist from New Orleans, a man of great energy, 
and was returning home from Europe when he was arrested ; we found 
him of great service in our mess, his specialities were omelettes and coffee, 
in the manufacture of which he excelled. 

He was finally released in January, on condition that he would go to 
Europe ; during the summer he attempted to reach his home by way of 
Nassau, but was captured in attempting to run the blockade, and is now a 
prisoner in Fort Jackson, below New Orleans. 



62 

Haig, the insane man, was removed yesterday ; could not 
find out whither he was sent, none of his friends were per- 
mitted to see him when he was leaving ; the garrison were 
all glad to get rid of him, as he gave them so much 
trouble and required constant watching. 

Had church service at eleven hy Mr. Stevens and a ser- 
mon read from Pusey ; one of the prisoners sent to New 
York for a small instrument, so we now have music with 
the service. After dinner we had an official visit from the 
United States Marshal of New York, and Simeon Draper, 
one of the city officials, doubtless come to report officially 
that we were very comfortable under the kind and parental 
care of the Government ; some complaints had reached the 
public ear through the press, notwithstanding the asser- 
tions of the Government organs that we were provided for 
as well as at any New York hotel, and were living luxu- 
riously. 

Draper was well known to many of the prisoners, and 
received some very plain talk from a number of them, 
myself included; Gatchell was particularly hard on him, 
very deservedly so ; he had partaken of Gatchell' s hospi- 
tality for twenty years past, and although he knew of his 
confinement here, had taken no notice of it : on the whole 
Draper did not feel any better for his visit, he promised 
very strongly to have some of our discomforts alleviated,* 
" nous verrons." 

After lock-up^ the evening service was read by Mr. 
Stevens ; I had a nice cup of chocolate and some home 
cakes, and read aloud from Poe, and the Ingoldsby Le- 
gends for an hour. 

*Sure enough, as some of the prisoners had predicted, the New York 
papers a day or two afterwards contained an account of this visit, which 
described us as living in great comfort and abundance, and expressing 
much gratitude to the Government for its generous and humane treatment 
of us, even to giving us the roof of the Fort as a jjromenade, where we 
could enjoy the fresh air from the ocean, &c., &c. 

If Draper, or whoever furnished the information, had looked upwards 
for a moment, he could have discovered said roof was too steep for a cat 
to promenade with safety. 



63 

October 28. Coldj clear morning, our room now toler- 
ably comfortable as the stoves were set agoing last evening ; 
received box from home with my furs and some shirts. 
Mail came in, quite a lot of letters for me, and sat down 
to answer some of them, when word came in that we were 
to be removed to Fort Warren, Boston harbor, at nine 
o'clock to-morrow morning ; surprised at this, as the Fort 
has been prepared within the last few days as a winter 
residence ; wrote home informing my family of the change, 
spent the afternoon in packing up; a very troublesome 
job, jjarticularly as we were locked wp in the dark the 
moment the order came for our removal, and had to work 
the whole afternoon with candles ; — finished packing at 
eight and went to bed. 

October 29. Slept but little last night, very much 
worried at the idea of going to Boston harbor ; it looks 
like confinement for the winter ; it is represented as a 
bleak and dreary place, several miles from land ; got up 
early to pack up my bed and bedding ; after it was done, 
and all the baggage removed to the wharf for shipment, 
orders came countermanding our departure, and our effects 
were all taken back to our rooms, — the supposition now is, 
that we will start to-morrow, tlie entire party very dull 
to-day at the prospect ahead of them ; unpacked my 
bedd'ing and got ready for another night, received my 
account from the Commandant, found out now why he 
issued the order some weeks since, that all washing 
should be done inside the Fort, and through his wife ; we 
previously paid seventy-five cents a dozen ; his charge is a 
dollar and a half; nice operation, this, for an ofiicer in the 
United States army ! Commander and laundry-conductor 
of Fort LaFayette.* Too dull to-day to read or write — 
tried cards in the evening, but had to give it up, and went 
early to bed. 

* One of the sergeants who had been missing for two or three days past, 
turned up this morning; according to his own story, he had been in the 
Guard House, for complaining that Mrs. Wood charged him ten cents for 
washing his shirt, when six cents was the usual price. 



64 

October 30. Received orders at daylight to prepare 
again to leave, and were again locked up in our rooms to 
get ready in the dark, or by the light of a few candles ; 
at eleven o'clock a small steamboat came to the wharf to 
transport us to Fort Columbus, on Governor's Island, 
where we were to take a larger steamer ; — marched to the 
wharf under the escort of part of our Irish company, who 
were to accompany us to Fort Warren, and on reaching 
the boat, into the cabin, where we were locked up ; cabin 
on deck which gave us a good view of the shore ; the 
ladies opposite saluted us with waving of handkerchiefs, 
25articularly Mrs, Grelston, who has been so kind to us, 
scarcely a day passing that she did not send us something 
in the way of provisions, fruits and flowers ; two young 
ladies ran along the shore for more than a mile waving 
their handkerchiefs at us. 

Arrived at Fort Columbus at twelve o'clock, and found 
to my dismay that the boat which was to take us to Fort 
Warren was the same one on which I had narrowly escaped 
shipwreck ten years ago ; and was still more dismayed on 
learning, that in addition to our own party, she was to 
take nearly seven hundred prisoners from Fort Columbus, 
chiefly those captured at Hatteras Inlet, making, with the 
guard of three hundred and the ship's crew, over eleven 
hundred persons in a vessel only built to carry four ^hun- 
dred, and in addition old and unseaworthy. 

At one o'clock dinner was served — crackers in a barrel 
and pieces of fat pork on the head of a barrel ; my allow- 
ance was three crackers and a piece of pork fat three 
inches square and one inch thick, not a particle of lean in 
it ; it tasted, however, very sweet. 

At two o'clock the prisoners were marched on board, the 
privates, six hundred in number crowded into the cabin 
under deck; the officers into the cabin with us above 
deck ; left at four o'clock for our destination ; hunt- 
ed up the clerk of the boat and made an arrangement to 
have meals cooked for us and served in the cabin at fifty 
cents per meal ; succeeded after much labor and manage- 



65 

ment in getting a state room for Mr. Carter and myself; 
dirty mattress and no bed clothing ; berths six inches too 
short ; paced the deck until eleven and went to bed ; weather 
and sea very calm ; captain of the boat said if the \veather 
changed he would put into harbor, as he was unwilling 
to trust his boat with such a load at sea in bad weather. 

October 31. Managed to get three or four hours' sleep, 
but very much cramped in my short berth ; got up early 
to give some one else a chance to get a nap, as more than 
half of those in the cabins had to sit or stand up all night; 
sea remarkably smooth for the season of the year, and 
every prospect of a good passage. The Hatteras prisoners 
describe their night as awful ; most of them had to stand 
all night, not having sufficient room to sit or lie down, and 
sixty out of the six hundred having the typhoid fever — 
not a particle of ventilation for them, except through the 
cabin doors. Before going to bed I tried to see them, but 
the sentry would not let me pass : nor did I much regret 
the refusal, for the stench arising from their "Black Hole," 
was sickening. Pleasant weather and calm sea during the 
day ; were all the time in sight of land, passing througli 
Martha's Vineyard, and along the coast of Massachusetts to 
Cape Cod, and with the aid of a good glass, could see the 
country and the villages all along the coast; never saw a 
more miserable and God-forsaken looking country; for 
hours we would not see a tree — no wonder the Yankees 
yearn for the South ! 

After dinner, which was very scant, the clerk, or the 
''Purser," as he called himself, informed me that the 
steamer's provisions were exhausted ; shortly after dusk, 
we reached Fort Warren ; a more desolate place could not 
be imagined anywhere this side of the Arctic regions. 

On reaching the wharf, Colonel Dimick, the commander 
of the Fort, came on board and informed us that he had 
not been notified by the Government of our intended 
removal, except that he had received orders, in general 
terms, to prepare quarters for onf hundred political ])rison- 



66 

ers from Fort LaFa3^ette, and bad no accommodations for 
a larger number ; tbat tbe Fort was a new one, just occu- 
pied ; be only baving come to it tbe day previous ; tbat 
tbere was not a bed, nor an article of furniture of any 
description on tbe Island, and notliing to eat ; but tbat be 
would send to Boston tbat nigbt, and provide for us tbe 
best be could, and we sbould pass tbe nigbt on board tbe 
boat. Tbe Nortb Carolina officers insisted tbat a portion 
of tbeir men sbould be taken on sbore, as tbey did not 
believe tbe men could survive anotber nigbt in tbe bold, 
without serious loss of life : accordingly, about tbree hun- 
dred were marcbed into tbe Fort ; I gave tbe leg of a 
cbicken and a i)iece o± bread I bad saved for my supper, to 
tbe Rev. Mr. Nortb, Cbaplain of one of tbe Virginia regi- 
ments, wlio, I accidentally found out, bad bad notbing to 
eat all day : and went to bed, amid tbe curses of tbe 
wbole party at tbe Government, for placing us in sucb a 
position. 

November 1. Arose at dayligbt, and wont out on deck 
to view tbe Fort and its surroundings ; morning brigbt 
and clear, and tbings generally looking better tban last 
nigbt ; no breakfast, and at eleven o'clock were marcbed 
asliore to our quarters. I was placed in a room witli seven 
otbers, Messrs. Quinlan, Jones, Landing, Clagett, Kessler 
and Salmon, members of tbe Maryland Legislature, and 
Appleton, a lad of about eighteen, who was captured on 
his way to Virginia, — a room sixteen by eighteen feet, 
lighted by three slits in tbe wall, three feet by six inches, 
with a small dressing room, used in common by the occu- 
pants of tbe room in front, which laced tbe interior of the 
Fort; not a particle of furniture in the room. Shortly 
afterwards tbe baggage arj^-ived in carts from tbe boat, and 
found all my ])ackages but one trunk and one box bad been 
o])ened and rifled of more or less of their contents ; every- 
thing gone that was worth stealing except my cooking 
a])paratus. All my jjickles, preserves, Bologna sausage, 
crackers, ten pounds sperm candles, spirits of wine, soap, 



67 

tobacco, towels, tea, coffee, sugar, lemons, sardines, choco- 
late, cold tongues, &c., &c." ' . fact I was entirely cleaned 
out of stores of all kinds. Found all the prisoners had 
suffered more or less in the same way, the soldiers on the 
boat no doubt thought the property of the rebels fair 
game ; at all events, whatever they thought, they stole 
every thing they could lay their hands on. As the boat, 
with the guard on board, was still at the wharf, I hunted 
up Captain Updegraff, who had command of the soldiers, 
and insisted that he should immediately go on board, and 
investigate the robbery, telling him that it was his duty as 
an officer of the army and a gentleman that he should not 
lose a moment's time in looking into it; he appeared indig- 
nant that any one, for an instant, could suppose Ms soldiers 
guilty of thieving, and suggested that it must have been 
done by the North Carolina privates. I reminded him that 
the North Carolina privates were all confined under deck 
and not permitted for any purpose to come on deck, except 
under guard ; while the baggage was on the forward deck 
under charge of his own men, and besides, their scanty 
baggage had been rifled to as great an extent as our's; 
their bundles broken open, and a large number of their 
blankets stolen ; and again insisted that he should im- 
mediately go on board the boat and investigate it ; he said 
he would do so, and started across the parade ground, 
which was the last I saw or heard of him. 

During the day a sharp Yankee came down from Boston, 
and proposed to draAv our rations, and furnish us with two 
meals a day in good style, for one dollar per day, closed 
with him, as fat pork and hard bread, although very good 
in their place, don't suit my appetite ; about thirty of the 
other prisoners did the same, — made arrangements to get 
the Boston and New York papers, and at four o'clock had 
a very fair cold dinner, which had an unusually good taste, 
as I had eaten nothing since two o'clock the day previous; 
such of the prisoners as did not join us in this arrange- 



68 

ment had nothing to eat all day, and many of them went 
without food for forty-eight hours.* 

After dinner I commenced looking round to see if I 
could not better my condition ; I had been assigned room 
mates who were perhaps clever enough in their own way, 
but not congenial to my tastes ; on examining the small 
room between the front and back room, which was intend- 
ed as a baggage-room, and was already filled with baggage, 
I came to the conclusion that it would make an excellent 
sleeping room, it was about ten by twelve feet, dark, but 
perfectly ventilated by a transom over each door and an 
opening in the ceiling, two feet square, to the ramparts 
above, twelve or fifteen feet above the ceiling, making a 
continuous draft of air through the room without affecting 
the lower part of it ; calling Lieutenant Stevens, who was 
quartered in the front room, and who had been my room 
mate at Fort LaFayette, I pointed out to him its advantages 
as a sleeping room, and jiroposed to him to get the gentle- 
men from both rooms to remove their baggage, and give it 
up to us ; he concurred with me, and in a little time we 
had the room to ourselves, and our beds arranged. 

Only eight or ten of the whole party brought their beds 
with them, the balance had to sleep on the floor. Apple- 
ton went into the passage to sleep; of the remaining six 
in the back room, four slept with their heads on a mattress 
I loaned them, and the other two in my rocking chair, with 
such blankets and shawls as we could spare them. 



*As far as I could ascertain, two raw hams and a box of soda crackers, 
was all the food that seven hundi-ed people had during the whole of that 
day and part of the next, while many of them, in addition, had nothing 
to eat for twenty- four hours before arriving at the Fort. 

I was congratulating myself before the baggage was sent up, that I had 
enough provisions to serve my immediate friends and myself for a day or 
two ; so thorough, however, was the "i?a^d" on our supplies that a jug of 
alcohol and another of Kerosene oil, both came up empty; the former, if 
well diluted, might answer the place of whiskey, but the guard must have 
found the latter very hard drinking — worse, if possible, than that celebra- 
ted New England manufacture of rum, better known as Massachusetts 
lightning. 



69 

On leaving Fort LaFayette, the Commandant refused to 
permit any of the articles furnished by the Government 
to be taken with us, and even went so far as to confiscate 
all the liquors we had in the store room, on the plea that 
he did not know whether the commanding officer at Fort 
Warren would permit us to have them ; Colonel Dimick 
wrote immediately to have them forwarded here, so in a 
few days, if they come, we shall be more comfortable, 
went to bed at ten o'clock and slept soundly. 

November 2. Eose early and made a cuj) of tea for Mr. 
Quinlan, who continues unwell, and went out to take a 
survey of the premises ; came to the conclusion that after 
we were fixed, we would be more comfortable here than at 
Fort LaFayette ; we are not compelled to come in contact 
with the soldiers, and the officers appear to understand 
their position, and willing to do whatever they can to 
make us comfortable, or at least, to let us alone ; and we 
will not be subject to the petty annoyances we had daily 
to encounter under Baggage-Master, Laundry-manager, 
Lieutenant Wood and his gang of Irishmen ; — spent the 
forenoon in visiting round, and find, that in my little room 
I am far ahead, in comfort, of the whole party, and am 
entirely satisfied on that score ; got a very fair breakfast 
at ten o'clock, and spent an hour or two in promenading 
and visiting the neighboring rooms ; received from Boston 
some articles I had written for, the day previous ; among 
them a mattress, which I gave to my room mates ; this 
makes two mattresses for the six, and by laying their head 
and shoulders on the bed with their feet to the fire they 
manage to get through the night. Am delighted with the 
promptness with which we receive what we order from 
Boston, articles coming next day, whereas at Fort LaFay- 
ette we never received anything from New York under 
eight days, although the distance was less. 

About two o'clock a north-east rain storm set in which 
stopped all out-door exercise, and confined us to our rooms. 
Dinner at four, and spent the evening in Commodore Bar- 



10 

ron's room in very pleasant conversation. Storm increas- 
ing, fearful night for ships on the coast ; at times the wind 
would whistle through the casemate windows equal to the 
shrill whistle of a locomotive engine, and after listening 
an hour to the howling of the storm, and the waves break- 
ing over the rocks, went to sleep. 

November 3. — Sunday. Storm continued during the 
night without abatement ; on getting up this morning 
found it impossible to go out, and very difficult to get 
water for washing, as very few could be found willing to 
face the storm for the sake of a clean face ; finally a quar- 
ter induced an old negro from North Carolina, one of the 
prisoners, to bring water and clean up the room. 

At ten o'clock the gale ceased, and the weather became 
mild and pleasant ; several of the North Carolina officers, 
who had the liberty of the Island on parole, walked up on 
the ramparts, and on their return described the scene as 
fearfully grand ; the surf breaking over the rocks and sea- 
walls and throwing the spray forty or fifty feet in the air ; 
they bring word that a ship was wrecked last night near 
the Fort and all perished ; they saw the dead body of a 
female perfectly nude fished out of the surf, and the cargo 
strewed all along the shore. 

Weather continued pleasant during the day, and at one 
o'clock had religious service in one of the unfinished 
casemates, by the Kev. Mr. North, of Jefferson County, Va., 
who was captured at Harper's Ferry: quite a large con- 
gregation. Colonel Dimick and several of his officers were 
present and responded to the service ; a more impressive 
scene could not be imagined, all standing, on the dirt 
floor, amid the massive piers and arches of the casemates 
around us, reminding me very much of an engraving I 
have some where seen, of the Worship of the Scotch 
Covenanters in the cryj)t of some old ruined castle or 
abbey. 

Dinner at four, roast turkey and Yankee pumpkin 
sauce ; made a good dinner of the former with the addition 



71 

of a cup of coffee; spent the evening in visiting the rooms 
of the North Carolina officers, some of whor^i I had known 
in my many visits to that State. 

November 4. Was very unAvell during the night, ate 
or drank something that disagreed with me ; weather 
delightful after the storm, spent the morning in prome- 
nading the space in front of our rooms, allotted to us for 
exercise, about one hundred and fifty feet long and thirty 
feet wide ; all " Prisoners of State" are confined to these 
limits, while the prisoners of war, the Carolina officers, 
are on their parole and have the privilege of the whole 
island, and of visiting until ten o'clock; the State prisoners 
being closed up at sun-set. 

Why prisoners taken with arms in their hands in open 
hostility to the Grovernment, should be accorded privileges, 
and a higher grade of treatment than those who are 
arrested and confined without any charge whatever, or 
ever having committed any hostile act, is one of the 
mysteries of "State," or rather of "Seward" policy I am 
not able to solve. 

Made the acquaintance of a number of the Carolina 
officers, and find them, as a body, an intelligent set of 
gentlemen, contrasting very favorably with the volunteer 
officers in the Federal service ; they bear their imprison- 
ment with great fortitude and cheerfulness, and have an 
abiding faith in the success of the Southern cause, only 
regretting their inability to participate in it, to its success- 
ful end. 

Spent the evening very pleasantly, in my room, with a 
number of visitors from adjoining rooms, and at "Taps," 
that is, at half-past nine, went to bed. 

November 5. Slept soundly last night, and did not get 
up until after eight ; morning unusually bright and mild 
for this climate ; had regular Yankee breakfast : codfish 
and potatoes, baked beans and pumpkin "sass," all very 
good except the coffee, some insisting it was tea, some 



n 

coffee, while others thought it was made of roasted beans. 
Spent the morning in making arrangements to get up a 
mess of our own for forty persons, in which we were aided 
by Colonel Dimick, who exhibits every disposition to 
make us as comfortable as possible ; this example neces- 
sarily influences the behavior of the subordinate offi- 
cers and soldiers; I have found the old adage "like 
master, like man," fully exemplified in my experience of 
military life ; we experience none of the rudeness and inso- 
lence we had daily to encounter at Fort LaFayette. Passed 
the afternoon in reading the Boston and New York papers 
and taking exercise on the walk before our quarters, and 
the evening in playing cards with some of the North 
Carolina officers. 

November 6. Election day at home, my term of office 
as a Member of the Maryland Legislature expires to- 
day ; wonder what effect that will have on my con- 
finement, and what sort of an election there will be in 
Maryland to-day ; as Plug-Uglyism has been • restored at 
the point of the bayonet : suppose that ''disloyal" citizens 
will not be permitted to vote, and "loyal" ones can vote 
as often as they please at each of the eighty voting places 
in Baltimore ; see by the Baltimore papers that G-eneral 
Dix has issued a proclamation forbidding treasonable votes 
(that is, votes for peace instead of war) to be deposited in 
the ballot-box, and constituting the soldiers, the Federal 
police and the Plug-Uglies, the judges of who are "loyal" 
and who "disloyal," with full power to arrest and imprison 
whom they please ; have not the slightest doubt that the 
"Union" party will have fifteen or twenty thousand 
majority in the city, and as little doubt that the actual 
number of voters will not exceed three thousand. 

Many of the gentlemen are under the impression that 
we will be released after the election, as our arrest was 
evidently made to intimidate the people of the State, and 
influence the coming elections ; I do not think so, for the 
rowdv element, which so hmff disgraced Baltimore, and 



73 

which after a long and hard struggle was put down, is 
again in the ascendant, and are the advisers of the Gov- 
ernment in all that relates to the City of Baltimore, and 
they will not permit our return if they can possibly pre- 
vent it ; the bogus elections of this Fall will give them 
entire control of the City Government; they will immedi- 
ately dismiss all the city officers, an ! till their places with 
their own creatures, and will not permit the return of a 
single individual, whom they hate or fear, or whom they 
think could in any way interfere with their schemes of 
rascality ; this will be found particularly applicable to 
Mr. Brown, the Mayor of the city, wliose release would 
disarrange all their plans ; they will keep him certainly 
until his term of office expires, and probably afterwards 
as a punishment for liis contumacy. 

Set to work to-day to fix up my sleeping room ; manu- 
factured a very good bedstead out of some pine slats and 
put up some shelving. My room mates had a cotton sack 
and fourteen pounds of straw served out to them to-day, 
which enabled me to get back my under mattress ; received 
some furniture I had ordered from Boston — carpet, mat for 
the side of the bed, chairs, washstand, bowl and pitcher, 
water bucket and foot bath, writing table with damask 
cloth cover ; stowed all my surplus baggage under the bed- 
stead and tacked a valance of black cambric around the 
frame, and when all was finished and arranged had about 
the nicest little prison room that could berfound any where ; 
many visitors came in to view and admire it. 

Boat came down in the afternoon with the tables and 
crockery for our new mess ; spent the evening in examining 
the bills and making the necessary arrangements to. com- 
mence to-morrow morning ; about one hundred of the 
North Carolina officers and such of the political prisoners 
as would not encounter the expense of our mess, are 
engaged in getting up another one on a cheaper scale, 
whicli they estimate will cost them fifteen or twenty cents 
per day above the Government rations ; had visits late in 
III ' evening from Major Gillam, of North Carolina, an old 
4 



74 

acquaintance, and several of tlie Nortli Carolina officers ; 
entertained tliem with a i)itclier of hot Scotch whiskey 
punch until eleven, and went to bed, tired from the labors 
of the day, and sleepy from the punch. 

November 7. Up early tliis morning to prepare the room 
and table of our new mess for breakfast, being one of a 
committee, with Marshal Kane and Captain Berry, to wait 
on the table for a week ; capital breakfast : beefsteaks, 
mutton-chops, sausage and good coffee ; the committee 
highly complimented on the first result of their labors. 
Several of our fellow prisoners released to-day : Captain 
Shields,* of Vermont, Mr. Eakin, of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

* Release of Captain Shields from Fort Warren. — Our fellow towns- 
man, Captain H. L. Shields, late a political prisoner in Forts LaFayette 
and Warren, readied home last evening. He was met at the cars by a 
large number of personal frieiids, but was so deeply affected that it M^as 
with difficulty that he cominanded his feelings. The treatment of the 
prisoners in Fort LaFayette the captain describes as having been not only 
bad, but positively cruel. He was confined in a room with thirty-eight 
others. The air, of course, under ordinary circumstances, with so many 
persons in one apartment, would be very bad ; but when we add to this 
that many of his companions were sick, we can imagine the sufferings of 
those who were thus inhospitably entertained in Uncle Sam's Bastile. The 
food was also bad ; and the Captain declares that from the time of his 
incarceration until he was released he did not taste a decent meal of vic- 
tuals. Colonel Dimick, the commandant of Fort Warren, does every- 
thing in his power to promote the comfort, health and happiness of the un-' 
fortunate men placed under his charge. He is a gentleman and a soldier, 
and his conduct towaflls the prisoners is of a kind and Christian character. 

Captain Shields, upon the transfer of the prisoners to Boston, became 
of great service to his comrades from his intimate acquaintance with 
Colonel Dimick, and says that he is repaid for his own sufferings, by a 
knowledge of the fact that he was able to ameliorate the condition of those 
who were, like him, under arrest. Upon his discharge, Captain Shields 
was treated virtually with the freedom of Boston. At the hotel they 
would take no compensation for his accommodation, and everywhere he 
was the recipient of the greatest respect. On the previous occasion of 
Captain Shields' visit to Boston he was there in command of Sherman's 
celebrated battery, and being encamped on the Common, was honored 
with the freedom of the town. It would seem, therefore, that the two 
visits, though greatly dissimilar in their original cause, ended very much 
alike. 



T5 

Elliot, of Maine, and Mr. Gilchrist, of Philadelphia, (the 
latter re-arrested on reaching Boston on civil process for 
treason,) and Dr. Brown, of North Carolina, on his parole 
until exchanged. 

Very busy all day in getting our mess into shape, and 
succeeded in getting up a passable dinner at five o'clock, 
no doubt we shall fare better as to food, but I doubt 
whether mucli will be saved in expense. 

A day or two after our arrival here. Colonel Dimick was 
kind enough to write to Washington, and ask for the 
privilege of extending-, in his discretion, the same liberty 
of the Island that was enjoyed, under parole, by the North 
Carolina officers, to the political prisoners ; the only politi- 
cal prisoner who enjoyed that privilege was Marshal Kane, 
of Baltimore, he had acquired it while at Fort Columbus, 
and was not disturbed in it here ; the only answer to the 
Colonel's application in our behalf, was an order revoking 
the parole of Kane, and remanding him into close confine- 
ment ; so we may be content that as far as we are concerned 
the "area of freedom" is not to be extended. 

After dusk Lieutenant Buell brought in my letters from 
liome with a request from Colonel Dimick that I would 
write to my daughter and suggest that in future she should 
not comment on the action of the Government, as it might 
embarrass me in my correspondence ; found on reading the 
letter referred to that the young lady had given that free 
use of her pen in commenting on my imprisonment, that 
women alone know how to do, which was not very palata- 
ble to the censors, still they were polite about it ; the letter 
was good enough to hand round, and had an extensive cir- 
culation. 



Captain Shields is most emphatic in his declarations of innocence. He 
assures us that there is not a scrap of paper or the least vestige of evidence 
to implicate him, and so far from being a traitor, he has always expressed 
himself in favor of the maintenance of the Government. Those who 
know the Captain's great sense of honor and his personal integrity will 
give full credence to every word he may say respecting his innocence. — 
Troy Times, [Republican) Nov. 8. 



76 

Passed the evening in my bed room reading the papers 
from Baltimore, New York and Boston, the latter contain- 
ing several bogus letters from Fort Warren, describing 
our miserable and dejected appearance, our dirt, rags and 
tatters, our deep penitence for having rebelled against the 
best and most paternal government on the face ( f the earth ; 
our anxiety to take the oath of allegiance and sin no more ; 
some of the gentlemen were not at all flattered at the 
special notices of them, particularly the references to their 
personal appearance. 

November 8. Up early to attend to the mess and get 
breakfast ready, and kept all the morning busy in catering 
for the next two or three days ; find no difficulty in getting 
any kind of the best provisions from Boston, and at a 
reesouable price. Dr. Coale, a friend of Mayor Brown, 
has kindly offered to attend to mess business in Boston ; 
every prospect of good fare and good cooking ; employed 
two North Carolina privates to cook, and eight to wait on 
the table, got up an excellent dinner, the best since I left 
home, — roast beef, roast mutton, Maryland liams and 
round of spiced beef, the two latter, presents from Balti- 
more, with good soup to begin with, and good coffee to 
end with. 

Five of our 2)arty left to-day, all naval officers, — Lieu- 
tenant Stevens,* my bed room mate, and Lieutenants 
Butts, t Dalton, Loyall and Sliarpe, tlie latter, one of the 
Hatteras prisoners ; destination aad destiny unknown ; 
they were given half an hour's notice to pack up, and no 
one allowed to speak to them after they left their rooms ; 
what nonsense ! 



* Lleutenaut Stevens has since distinguislied himself as the first officer 
of the iron- clad steamer "Arkansas," in her successful contest with 
twenty-three Federal steamers, most of them iron-clad, on the Mississippi 
river near Vicksburg, and subsequently commanded her when she was 
destroyed. 

f Lieutenant Butts, on his exchange, became one of the Lieutenants 
onboard the "Merrimac," and participated in her battles in Hampton 
Roads. 



11 

Another lot of Boston officials came down to-day to 
'' view the animals ;" the batch that came down the day 
after our arrival, with the Mayor at their head, were very 
particular in going to all the rooms, and taking a list of 
all who were not provided with mattresses and blankets, 
stating they would be furnished from Boston, forthwith, 
to avoid the tedious delay of getting them from the 
Government, through the ordinary method of a requisi- 
tion ; and the City would look to the Government for 
compensation, which charitable purpose was duly heralded 
next day in the Boston papers as an evidence of great 
kindness and liberality on the part of the city authorities 
of Boston ; since Avhich we have not heard a word of mat- 
tresses or blankets, or of their honors, the Mayor and City 
Councils of Boston, and to-night I was compelled to take 
another blanket from my own bed, and go out and borrow 
two shawls for my room mates, who were totally destitute 
of any thing to cover them at niglit. 

A few days after reaching here it become necessary to 
make some arrangements to liave our washing done ; we 
proposed to Colonel Dimick to send it to Boston ; the Colo- 
nel objected, and preferred it should be done on the Island ; 
probably he feared it might be made the medium of illicit 
correspondence ; there was a frame building outside the 
Fort that could be used for the purpose, and some Irish 
women, the wives of some of the soldiers or laborers, could 
do it ; accordingly we sent our clothes out yesterday, and 
last night the intended wash house took fire and was 
entirely burned ; a portion of the clothes was saved, but 
not n:^uch ; truly I have hard luck with my baggage 
between fire and thieves. 

Commodore Barron has taken the place in my small 
room made vacant by tlie departure of Lieutenant Stevens. 
I think I sliall find him an agreeable companion ; passed 
the evening in my room reading and writing. 

November 9. Cold, raw morning, with easterly wind 
and driving rain ; awoke with severe head-ache from drink- 



78 

ing some '' Boston whiskey" last night; price three dol- 
lars per gallon, A^alue twenty cents, being nothing but 
reduced alcohol with some coloring matter in it ; won't 
drink any more until I get some from home, and perhaps 
not tlien, as I understand to-day that Colonel Dimick has 
stopped the use of whiskey among the prisoners, in conse- 
•juence of some of them getting tight. 

Occupied most of the morning with mess matters, send- 
ing orders to Boston for provisions, &c. Three new arri- 
vals to-day, Mr. Green and Mr. Lowe, of Savannali, and 
Mr. Bunker, of Mobile, ^ — Southern gentlemen, arrested on 
their way home from Europe ; one of them quartered in my 
room and two in the room in front of me : they appear to 
be educated and intelligent gentlemen ; received letter 
from my brother, lie thinks w^e will soon be released, as 
the elections are over ; doubt it very much, if the offer is 
made, it w^ill be on conditions that are inadmissible. Our 
mess gives great satisfaction and works very well, but I 
shall be glad when my week's supervision expires, as 1 
find it consumes most of my time. 

Spent the evening in my room reading and writing by 
the light of a kerosene lamp I sent to Boston for, yesterday ; 
I find it a better light to read by than gas light, it is 
softer, steadier, and equally brilliant, while it costs less, 
but requires great care in the trimming and management. 

November 10. Usual routine ; church service at eleven 
o'clock, by the Rev. Mr. North ; quite a large audience, 
two or three hundred of the North Carolina prisoners pre- 
sent. Colonel Dimick takes great interest in our religious 
services; I have formed a very high opinion of him as a 
gentleman and christian ; all the prisoners, without excep- 
tion, speak well of him. 

Had an extra dinner at the mess to day, being Sunday, 
roast turkies, roast and boiled mutton, roast beef and lob- 
ster salad, and dessert of nuts of several kinds, fresh 
peaches in cans, honey and coffee, making capital prison 
fare. I find the rule holds good inside as well as outside 



79 

of Forts, that money will enable you to live anywhere, 
especiall}^ where there is a Yankee near and he wants it, — as 
he always does. 

After dinner, visited the officer who- has charge of us 
and our money, and drew twenty dollars from him, that 
being the maximum amount each party is trusted with, 
provided he has that much. 

I find, in my visits to the other rooms, that much dis- 
satisfaction prevails about the distribution of the quarters ; 
we occupy what are termed "officers' quarters," and con- 
sists of sixteen rooms, eight above and eight below ground, 
half of them facing the parade ground in the interior of 
the Fort; the other half facing the embankment on the 
outside, which is twenty-five or tliirty feet high, with a 
space between the walls of the Fort and the embankment 
of about twenty feet ; the front rooms above ground are 
well lighted with large windows, and present a very cheer- 
ful appearance, the back rooms are dark, being lighted 
with narrow slits in the wall, six inches wide, and the 
light and view shut off by the embankment ; the lower 
rooms of course are still darker, being ten feet below the 
level of the parade ground, and receiving their light from 
a narrow area — all the rooms are however dry — the lower 
ones have stone floors, the upper ones plank floors, and all 
have closets of various sizes between them. 

The night before we landed. Lieutenant Buell, who has 
charge of the political prisoners, and Lieutenant Casey, 
who has charge of the prisoners of war, undertook, with 
the aid of two or three gentlemen among us, to apportion 
the rooms ; it Avas ascertained, after setting aside forty-five 
of the political prisoners, who had no money, and for other 
reasons, were not entitled to officers' quarters, that from 
eight to nine would have to be jdaced in each room — those 
gentlemen undertook to select the occupants of each room ; 
putting together such as they supposed would harmonize 
in their habits and associations, and be agreeable to each 
other ; the intention was a good one, but failed in the 
execution ; during the night, the prisoners on board under- 



80 

standing that aLout^eiglit would be allotted to each room, 
were engaged in making u}» their own })arties of such as 
were congenial to each other, not knowing of the arrange- 
ments being made for them ; next morning on entering the 
Fort we were all drawn up in a line, and our names called ; 
as each eight or nine, as the case might be, answered to 
their names, they were given the number of their room 
and directed to it, and great was the amount of indignation 
expended wlien it was seen that some gentlemen occupied 
the front parlors, while others, their equals in social posi- 
tion, were consigned to the back cellars : I was assigned to 
an upper back room with a set of associates probably clever 
enough in their own way, but certainly the last I should 
have selected had I been left to my own choice ; indeed, the 
evening ])revious, Wallisand myself were pitying the man 
who should be quartered with them ; neither of us dream- 
ing that it would be my lot; it turned out, however, very 
fortunate for me, as it enabled me to get the small room I 
have spoken of as a bed-room, and eventually gave me the 
best accommodations in the Fort. 

The forty-five referred to as being without money, and 
for that, and other reasons, not being entitled to considera- 
tion, were placed together in one of the casemates some 
distance from us — a room seventeen by fifty feet within the 
walls, ceiling and floors of naked stone ; none of them had 
either beds or bedding, a few had blankets, some pine slats 
were given them to lie on temporarily, and at the end of a 
week, bunks were put up, and each man furnished with a 
cotton sack, twelve pounds of straw and a blanket ; sol- 
dier's rations were served them, and a good cooking stove 
given to them; these men fared much worse than at Fort 
LaFayette, where the same distinctions were not and could 
not be made, and were very bitter in their denunciations of 
their treatment; for the first two or three days the officers 
and soldiers of the Garrison were disposed to treat them as 
pariahs, and a guard was placed at their door to keep them 
as close prisoners; but this was removed, and they were 
allowed the same privilege of exercise that we were — on 



81 

the whole, thej- were a pretty hard party, antl would occa- 
sionally relieve the monotonj'' of their confinement by a 
fight among themselves; the Lieutenant in charge was not 
disposed to he amiable towards them, having had his 
pocket picked of forty-five dollars, which he insisted must 
liave been done by some one of the forty-five inmates of 
casemate number forty-five. 

Spent the evening in my room reading and writing, 
received the Baltimore papers only one day old, showing 
no detention in the delivery. 

November 11. One of the cold, penetrating, driving, 
rainy days peculiar to the sea-coast in tliis latitude, enough 
to give one the horrors ; out-door exercise impossible ; spent 
the day in reading, writing and attending to my mess 
duties; my week's service as carver and waiter on the table 
has expired, but I have agreed to continue the ordering 
of provisions and keeping the mess accounts. Colonel 
Pegram, Captain De Lagnel and Charles H. Pitts being 
appointed the committee to superintend and wait on the 
table the ensuing week. 

Received a basket from home to-day, filled with good 
things, among them a dozen bottles of mint julep, laven- 
der brandy and old whiskey, which were stopped by the 
Corporal who examined the basket, and taken to the Colo- 
nel's quarters. Made a visit to the Colonel, who kindly 
consented to my retaining them, expressing great confi- 
dence that I would use them judiciously, and suggested 
that I should not make the fact generally known that I 
had tliem ; he might as well have suggested to the hounds 
that they should no longer scent the fox. Liquor was 
scarce, andni}' friends were all seized with a sudden solici- 
tude about my health which could only be relieved by per- 
sonal enquiry; made a pitcher of hot whiskey punch, and 
spent the evening in my room entertaining such visitors as 
dropped in. 

Two of our party left to-day, Mr. Bunker, of Mobile, and 
Mr. Pierce, of Xew Orleans — both took the oath of alle- 
giance. 



82 

November 12. — Usual routine for the morning, exercise 
and attending to the mess duties ; a number of articles 
received to-day from the charitable ladies of Boston, viz: 
some second hand Testaments and Sunday school hymn 
books, several jars of jelly, quite a number of calico comforts, 
made of old frocks and window curtains ; a small parcel 
was handed to me by the corporal, endorsed with great 
pomposity "from Mrs. Alexander V. Eice, of Boston, for 
the sick rebels in Fort Warren," opened it and found it 
contained six bottles of "Ayers' Cherry Pectoral," not 
having any use for it, handed it back to the corporal for 
him to find some other custom.er ; six of my back room 
mates, although men of property, were mean enough to 
accept the calico comforts referred to; although abundantly 
able to make themselves comfortable, they have preferred 
to depend upon the charity of their fellow-prisoners and 
the Boston people for every thing they require, too indo- 
lent to keep their room clean, which has only been done 
when I paid one of the servants from some other room to 
clean it for them ; with one exception they should have been 
placed in number forty-five, where they properly belong. 

November 13. Beautiful day, reminds me of the weather 
at home during this month, spent most of the morning 
exercising in the open air, received letters from liome, all 
well, and expecting my release very soon now that the 
election is over; have not much hope of it myself, had my 
name transferred from the roll of the back room to the 
front room, a very desirable change as it gives me a right 
to use the front room, which I only enjoyed before by 
courtesy, and relieves me entirely from my former asso- 
ciates without offending them ; my room mates now 
consist of Commodore Barron,* who sleeps in the small 
room with me; Colonel Pegram,t who was captured at the 

*Comniodore Barron was exchanged in July, 1862, and is now stationed 
at Charlotte, North Carolina, or was a short time since. 

t Colonel Pegram was exchanged early in January, and was on the staff of 
General Beauregard at the battle of Shiloh, now a Brigadier General 
under General Bragg. 



battle ofRicli Mountain, in Virginia, last summer; Colonel 
Bradford,* an old army officer, who was captured at 
Hatteras Inlet, and who, singularly enough, was one of the 
officers who superintended the construction of this Fort, 
Captain DeLagnel,t who was taken in Virginia after the 
battle of Rich Mountain; Charles Green, | a merchant of 
Savannah, arrested at Detroit on his way home from 
Europe; Andrew Lowe,§ a merchant of Savannah, arrested 
at Cincinnati on his way home from Europe, Marshal 
Kane, of Baltimore, and Appleton,|l the young man who 
was taken while endeavoring to make his way from Balti- 
more to Virginia; the latter two sleep in the passage, 
where Marshal Kane has fitted up a very nice room, by 
running a petition across tlie lower end, his health not 
permitting him to sleep in a room with a fire ; one servant, 
one of the North Carolina privates, is allotted to us, who 
makes the fire, and the beds, (except mine, for I don't let 
anybody touch mine but myself,) cleans up the room, 
blacks the boots, brings water and makes himself gener- 
ally useful, particularly when he is looked after and kept 
up to his work. Mr. Green, who prides himself on his 
skill in making tea, has undertaken that depart- 
ment, and at eight o'clock we have a nice little set out of 
Avhatever we may hapj^en to have in the closet; at "re- 



* Colonel Bradford was exchanged in December, and returned to his 
home in North Carolina; he was in bad health — now in command at 
Goldsboro', North Carolina. 

t Captain DeLagnel after his exchange in December, was promoted to 
a Lieutenant Colonelcy, and commanded the batteries at Craney Island, 
near Norfolk; now in command at Fayetteville, North Cai-olina. 

X Mr. Green was released in February on parole to go to his family, 
then in Virginia, but not to return to Savannah. Five hundred dollars to 
R. J. effected what Lord Lyons failed in ; Green was a British subject. 

^Mr. Lowe was paroled for exchange in February, but spent three 
months in Baltimore, endeavoring to get a pass to go South ; he, finally by 
a liberal expenditure of money, succeeded in getting it, and returned 
home. 

II Appletou was released on an indefinite parole in March, and returned 
home to study law. 



84 

treat" tliat is at half-past four, when we leave the parade 
ground and retire to our rooms, and the sentinels are drawn 
in to our door, I trim and light my lamp, and prepare my 
writing table for those who wish to write, or read in quiet, 
leaving the front room for conversation, and the back- 
gammon })layers, the onl}^ game wc liave, as there are not 
card players enough among us to make up a game ; at ten 
o'clock, I brew a pitcher of hot whiskey punch, wliich we 
sij:) until eleven ; Colonel Pegram, the only one among us 
who does not partake of the punch, gives us some very 
fine music from his guitar, and we put out the light and 
go to bed ; conversation not being forbidden in bed, as at 
Fort LaFayette, those who arc not sleepy can indulge until 
they unconsciously drop off. 

November 14. One of the loveliest days tliat could be 
imagined, positive luxury to be in the open air; read and 
wrote alternately all day, most of our party, from the 
tenor of tlieir letters received to-day, are very sanguine of 
an early release, " nous veiTons;" — went with Mr. Harrison , 
who had heard some of them were sick, to visit the 
prisoners in number forty-five, and to distribute some 
clothing among them sent by tlie ladies of Baltimore : — 
God bless them for their continued kind remembrance of 
the poor prisoners ; — good substantial clothing, not miser- 
able patches of cast off garments. The atmosphere of 
number forty-five was almost unendurable, that peculiar 
sickening smell known as a '' Poor House smell," familiar 
to all who have gone through Alms Houses ; got out of it 
as soon as possible, and for the first time visited the case- 
mates occupied by the North Carolina privates, (which, 
however, Avas against the rules, as visits to them are not 
permitted,) found their condition much worse tlian the 
inmates of number forty-five ; tlie casemates are t]ie same 
size, that is seventeen by fifty feet, but the number in 
each, varied from sixty-five to eighty-five, and the stench 
was perfectly sickening ; no wonder that thirty or forty 
are continually in the hospital with the typhus fever ; — 



85 

the mumps has run through the whole of them ; each 
room is furnished with a large iron kettle with a furnace 
under it outside the door, in wliich kettle they hoil their 
meat and soup, and make their coffee, all exposed to the 
weather. I have often noticed them, thinly clad, cooking 
their rations in a driving rain or snow storm. 

From thence I went to the hospital, the sentinel kindly 
looking another way when I passed him ; here I was most 
agreeably disappointed, a more comfortable and better 
arranged hospital I have never seen, clean and free from 
any unpleasant smell ; the contrast was so great between 
it and tlie rooms I had just left, that I began to think it 
must be a luxury for the poor fellows to get sick, and 
rejoiced that I had at last found something creditable to 
the United States Government in my journcyings round 
among their Forts, but the delusion was dispelled on my 
return to my room, by being informed that it was fitted 
up entirely by private contributions from Boston, under 
the direction of Dr. Peters, a surgeon in the Federal army, 
who was taken prisoner in Texas, and released on his 
parole of honor until exchanged, and who has devoted 
himself to the sick prisoners, carrying the point of honor 
so far that he will not attend to tlie sick of the garrison, 
considering that would be a breach of his parole; that man 
ought to be unconditionally released. 

November 15. A placard was posted in our rooms 
to-day, that on to-morrow an agent of the State Depart- 
ment would visit the Fort, for the purpose of ascertaining 
and reporting to Washington the names of such prisoners 
as were willing to take the oath of allegiance, as a con- 
dition preliminary to any investigation of their cases. 
Numbers, no doubt, will take that or any other oath the 
Grovernment may require, to be released from imprison- 
ment ; like the news man in Fort LaFayette, who was not 
at all particular what the oath was, and would not hear 
it read. 

A large lot of clothing, shoes and blankets, was received 



86 

to-day by Mr. Wallia, from a Mr. Johnson, of Boston, for 
distribution among the North Carolina prisoners. It came 
very opportunely, for they were sadly in want of it ; there 
are some gentlemen in Boston, although one would not 
think so, to judge of the Boston newspapers. A small 
parcel was received to-day, and when opened was found to 
contain two pair of nice j^arn socks, with a slip of paper 
containing, " For a prisoner at Fort Warren, from a young 
lady in Boston, who lias a brother, a prisoner, in Rich- 
mond ;" that girl's heart is in the right place. 

My views with regard to tlie Maryland election liave 
been more than realized, — our letters from Baltimore, and 
from all parts of the State represent it as disgusting in 
the extreme, not worthy of being dignified by the name of 
a farce ; gangs of rowdies and armed soldiers stationed at 
the polls, privileged to arrest and imprison whom- they 
pleased, while the ballot box Avas stuffed with the votes of 
"Loyal Citizens." In the City of Baltimore several 
hundred were arrested and sent to the watch houses, and 
when they were full, to the theatre, cliarged, as the 
" Baltimore American '" quaintly observes, with "attempt- 
ing to })ollute the ballot box," by depositing Democratic 
votes; even the aforesaid " Baltimore ^4?wenca?i " degraded 
as it is, I'elt impelled to express its regret at the extent to 
which those outrages were perpetrated, not that they were 
disgraceful in themselves^ but that well known "Loyalty" 
of the great mass of the people of Baltimore, rendered 
them unnecessary. 

How any one, bearing the shape of a man, and claiming 
to be one, can accept the fruits of such villiany, is one of 
the curiosities of human nature bej^ond my compreliension — 
truly there must be a charm in the possession of power. 

Spent the evening in making up my mess accounts for 
the week, a very troublesome job. 

November 16. Mr. Seth C. Hawley, the agent of the 
State Department, referred to yesterday, came down this 
morning to make his investigation ; did not visit my room. 



87 

and left word he would be down again ; prepared my 
answer in writing, declining to take the oath, or accept my 
freedom clogged with any conditions ; if the Government 
has any charge against me let them produce it. 

Hawley was very much disgusted with the result of his 
mission, and with the prisoners generally : found but three 
or four that were willing to take the oath, and had to listen 
to a great deal of plain talk not at all complimentary to 
him or his master ; one of the prisoners suggested to Idaw- 
ley, that as a preliminary to the opening of negotiations 
un the subject, he should pay over the six hundred dollars, 
which, as a lawyer, he had collected some years since and 
failed to account for. One of the North Carolina officers, 
to whom hecommenced talking onthesubject of tlie"oath," 
promptly demanded satisfaction for the insult ; Hawley 
immediately apologized, protesting that he was not aware 
he was conversing with a prisoner of war : doubtless he 
will report us as "incorrigible rebels." 

Very dull to-day ; not sick — not well ; too hot in the 
rooms — too cold and windy to go outside ; glad when night 
came that I could light my lamp and get to reading. 

November 1*7. — Sunday. Church service by the Eev. Mr. 
Nortli, but did not get to it ; was engaged in reading and 
missed the hour. Visiting round until dinner, which was 
an extra good one, with champagne and sherry ; presents 
to Mr. Faulkner from some of his New York friends ; time 
begins to grow heavy and monotonous ; getting very tired 
of the daily routine of eating, drinking and sleeping ; how 
I sliall get through the winter if kept here I cannot tell ; 
the climate is horrible — cold, foggy and changing in tem- 
perature half a dozen times a day, while the small space 
allotted us for exercise, never having been graded or paved, 
is so muddy that we cannot use it half the time ; it is true 
I am comibrtably fixed within doors, but it will be tiresome 
in the extreme ; read until ten o'clock and went to bed.' 



November 18. Mr. Hawley, the agent of Seward, made 
his appearance again to-day — handed liira my answer in 
writing, wliicli he said he would have filed in the State 
Department ;* it was in substance that I could not recog- 
nise the justice or legality of my arrest by tlie acceptance 
of any conditions as the price of my release, which I sup- 
pose fixes me here for the winter ; two of my recent room 
mates express their willingness to swear to anything, and 
are frank enough to say tliat they do not regard an illegal 
oath, taken under duress, as having any moral force. 

Another large lot of clothing was received to day from 
the ladies of Baltimore for the Hatteras prisoners. Mr. 
Warfield, Mr. Harrison and Marshal Kane undertook its 
distribution. 

The boat to-day also brought down, a lean, tall, uncom- 
monly pious looking individual, with a white cravat, 
whose business it was to distribute among the prisoners 
some religious tracts and small hymn-books. I secured 
one of the latter, and will preserve it as a curiosity. The 
hymns were, as one of our distinguished fellow-citizens 
would say, extremely " simiscuous" in their character.— - 
Opening the book in tlie middle, the first my eye lit on, 
was "Come to Jesus ;" the next the "Star Spangled Ban- 
ner ;" then, " I would not live always, no, welcome the 
tomb," followed by "Hail Columbia, Ha})py Land," 
and "Sinners awake, the hour is come," })receding the 
"Red, White and Blue." Some of tlie gentlemen were 



Fort Warren, November 16, 1861. 

*I have Iwice taken the oath to support and defend the Constitution of 
the United States, during the present year, and am not disposed to turn a 
solemn obligation into ridicule by constant repetitions of it. 

I am not conscious of having, in any manner, violated that obligation. 
If I have, or if the Government supposes I have, I have a right, as a citi- 
zen of the United States, to demand an investigation. 

I cannot, by the acceptance of conditions for my release, acknowledge 
by implication or inference, that any just or legal cause existed for my 
arrest, which I utterly deny. 

I am willing to hold myself in readiness to meet any charges that may 
be brought against me. Lawrence Sangston. 



89 

rude enough to decline his hymn hooks; for my part I 
woukl not take a doUar for mine. 

Spent the evening in my room reading the Ingoklshy 
Legends, and playing hack-gammon with Colonel Pegram ; 
went to hed at ten, very sleepy. 

November 19. Spent the morning as usual in exercise, 
reading and visiting the neighhors ; although I have rea- 
son to he thankful for my comfortahlo quarters, I regret 
very much my separation from my Baltimore and Mary- 
land friends ; they are all, with the exception of Marshal 
Kane, located on the other side of the sally-port, and 
although we have the privilege of visiting freely during 
the day, we cannot cross the sally-port at night, hut have 
free access to the eight rooms on our side of it, from sun- 
set until eleven o'clock. My associates are altogether 
among officers of the army and navy, and although very 
clever and intelligent gentlemen, it would he a relief occa- 
sionally to spend an evening with my own people; I might 
perhaps get permission to do so, hut I dislike asking favors 
of our keepers. 

1 have already noticed that Colonel Dimick was kind 
enough to write to Fort LaFayette for our wines and 
liquors that were kept by Lieutenant Wood, on our 
departure ; almost all the prisoners had more or less 
liquors in the store room, either purchased, or the gift of 
kind friends, and generally of the finest quality ; to-day 
Dr. Thomas received two demijohns and a half one, of 
whiskey, part of his stock, being all that arrived ; as the 
Commandant of Fort LaFayette does not add drinking to 
his numerous failings, he could have had none other than 
a pecuniary motive in confiscating them, and somebody 
must have made two or three hundred dollars by the 
operation. 

Received pleasant letters from home and spent the 
evening in answering and getting up my corresj)ondence, 
generally, which had fallen in arrears. 



90 

November 20. Suffered very mucli last niglit from 
Lumbago, must have taken cold, first time for nearly a 
month I have had it ; it does not affect my general health, 
but is exceedingly painful and annoying ; feel very dull 
to-day, too cold and blustering to exercise much in the 
open air, and but little disposition to do anything within 
doors ; went to No. 2 and played cards with Governor 
Morehead,* Warfield and Pitts for an hour, got tired of 
that; helped them, in connexion with Dr. Thomas and 
Frank Howard, to drink a bottle of whiskey, but that did 
not raise my spirits. Went back to my own room and 
played back-gammon with Colonel Pegram for an hour or 
two, got tired of that; tried to read the Boston papers, but 
soon became disgusted with them, particularly on reading 
that Captain Updegraff, the officer who commanded the 
gang of thieves that rifled our baggage on the voyage from 
Fort LaFayette to Fort Warren, was, for " meritorious 
conduct," promoted to be a Colonel in the army; went 



* The Governor, like myself, would occasionally become restive, and 
find it difficult to get through the day; accustomed to an active life, men- 
tally and physically, enjoying for many years the highest honors that could 
be conferred on him by his native State, and surrounded by all comforts 
and luxuries that wealth and i^osition could give him, retired from public 
life and devoting himself to his family and the cultivation of his estate ; he 
found the transition to the loathsome battery rooms at Fort LaFayette 
almost unendurable. 

The story of his arrest was the same as of all the prisoners, dragged 
from his bed at midnight, hurried off without a change of clothing, taken 
by special trains from town to town and from jail to jail, to avoid the 
service of writs of Habeas Corpus, and finally lodged in Fort LaFayette, 
after a journey of a thousand miles, in the same clothing in which he was 
taken, and then furnished with a bag of half rotten straw to sleep on. 
He had been sent to Washington by the State of Kentucky, to represent 
her in the Peace Convention, so called, and having spoken and voted in 
favor of Peace, was thereafter regai'ded a "dangerous" man. 

He was released in February and returned to his home in Kentucky ; 
although taking no part in public affairs his presence there was supposed 
by the Government to have an unfavorable influence, and his re-arrest 
was ordered ; getting wind of it, two or three hours start enabled him to 
reach the Canada frontier before his pursuers, from whence a few weeks 
afterwards he went to England. 



91 

'into my little room and lit the lamp, tliinking I would 
read for two or tliree hours, gave it up and went to bed, 
but not to sleep. The Commodore, observing that my 
thoughts "were in a train that did not run on sleepers," 
kindly entertained me with a very interesting account of 
his capture at Fort Hatteras, at Hatteras Inlet ; it appears 
that the Fort was a very small one, built for only one 
hundred and fifty men, and having bomb-proof shelter for 
only that number ; when the attack commenced he had in 
the Fort three hundred men, and during the night follow- 
ing, four hundred additional were sent into the Fort, — on 
the second day's bombardment, the ships anchored two 
miles distant, in a perfect calm, a thing hitherto unknown 
in the neighborhood of Cape Hatteras, obtained the exact 
range of the Fort, and could place every shell they fired, 
into it, while in the Fort, there was not a gun that would 
reach over a mile; four-fifths of the men were without 
shelter, and their retreat entirely cut off; under such 
circumstances it was necessary, to save the lives of the 
men, to hoist the white flag for a parley; it was now the 
duty of General Butler, who commanded the opposing 
forces, to have sent an officer in a boat to have ascertained 
what was wanted, instead of which, he brought several of 
his vessels under the guns of the Fort, one of which, the 
" Harriet Lane," got ashore, and then sent a boat ashore 
to receive the proposition Commodore Barron had to make. 
Barron proposed to surrender as "Prisoners of War." 
Butler demanded an unconditional surrender. Barron 
refused to capitulate in any other way, insisting that his 
defences were but little injured, and he had plenty of 
ammunition left, and that if his terms were not acceded 
to, he would, after giving sufficient time for the officers to 
regain the decks of their vessels, hoist his flag and 
resume the battle. 

Butler now began to understand the position in which 
his ignorance of the rules of naval warfare had placed him ; 
the Fort would certainly ultimately be reduced by the 
powerful fleet that was safely anchored out of reach of 



92 

its guns; but in tlio meantime, Butler and the ships under 
the guns of the Fort could he blown in the air before they 
could possibly escape, and under the necessity of the case, 
Barron's demands were acceded to, and the garrison 
capitulated as prisoners of war, having guaranteed to 
them all the rights accorded to prisoners of war by the 
usage of civilized warfare, being the first time the United 
States, through any of its officers, has recognized the 
Confederates as belligerents, and tliis explains why the 
North Carolina officers have the parole of the island, 
wear their uniforms, and enjoy privileges not accorded 
to other prisoners of war. This portion of the capitulation 
of Fort Hatteras, however, does not appear in the official 
report of General Butler ; perhaps the General thought it 
''would not look well in print." 

November 21. Still sufiering with Lumbago, and con- 
sequently dull and gloomy, not only from that, but other 
desagremens. This is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 
my wedding day, the day on which we were to have 
celebrated our silver wedding, and I am in a military 
prison, five hundred miles from home. May the foul 
fiend blast those who sent me liere in utter violation of 
Law and Justice ; I don't often indulge in the luxury of 
swearing, if it be a luxury, but to-day I can't help it; 
perhaps the recording angel will treat me as liberally as 
he did "Uncle Toby." 

Wrote home to my wife, and was sorry afterwards I did 
so, because of the sadness of my missive's tenor: — fresh 
arrival of prisoners to-day, two officers and twenty-three 
privates, captured at Santa Rosa Island, near Pensacola, 
in the fight there with Billy Wilson's regiment of New 
York thieves ; they were very ragged and destitute : for- 
tunately a large lot of clothing arrived to-day, from the 
Baltimore ladies, which was distributed among them : 
coming from a warm climate and being very thinly clad, 
they were almost frozen to-day, by being kept on the 
parade ground for two hours in the face of a driving 



93 

storm, until quarters were assigned them. The Baltimore 
people have been exceedingly liberal to the prisoners here, 
scarcely a day passes that something does not arrive for 
tliem. 

NovEMCER 22. Usual routine for the morning, reading, 
visiting and exercise, wrote to my brother to know if he 
could learn through some of his Union friends, what the 
Government propose to do with us ? but I fear he may not 
act, as his own "loyalty" may be suspected, if he makes 
any inquiries. 

My attention was called to-day to a fact I had hitherto 
not noticed, that two of our room mates, although joining 
in general conversation, did not speak to each other, and 
made some inquiry as to the cause ; it appears they were 
merchants in the same city, and for many years partners 
in business; they separated as partners sometimes will do, 
with some ill-feeling or misunderstanding, both went to 
England on business, and the story goes, that in returning 
they took different steamers to avoid coming in contact ; 
each was arrested on his way home, one in Detroit, the 
other in Cincinnati, both arrived by the same boat on the 
same day, at Fort Warren, and were quartered in the 
same room, — so all their efforts to keep apart were unsuc- 
cessful. 

Spent the evening in reading and playing back-gammon 
witli Colonel Pegram, 

November 23. Usual routine for the morning; received 
some fine old whiskey from home, and consequently had 
numerous visitors who called to enquire after my health. 
Officers making preparations to receive Messrs. Mason and 
Slidell, who are expected here to-morrow ; notwithstand- 
ing the rejoicing of the press and the hallelujahs of the 
pulpit at their capture, the approval of the President and 
Secretary of tlie Navy of the act of Caj^tain Wilkes, the 
vote of thanks given him by Congress, the exultation of 
Governor Andrews at Wilkes having bearded the British 



94 

lion, and the general demand of tlie Nortliern press that 
the captives shall he confined in a dungeon and fed on 
bread and water, it is very evident that Mr, Seward does 
not feel at ease, and is douhtfni of the result, for orders 
came yesterday to prepare quarters suitable to their rank ; 
nine North Carolina officers — a Colonel, a Lieutenant- 
Colonel, a Major and six Captains were turned out of their 
rooms to accommodate them, the floor carpeted and the 
rooms well furnished with bedsteads, good beds and bed- 
ding, tables, chairs, &c., which has never before been 
done for any prisoners ; their quarters are adjacent to 
mine — only the passage between us — so we will be close 
neighbors. 

An easterly storm set in after dinner and blew a gale 
all night ; heard the surf breaking over the rocks until I 
went to sleep. 

November 24. Storm over, bright, clear morning; queer 
climate this — rain, hail, snow, fog and sunshine all in 
twenty- four hours; spent part of the morning in collecting 
autographs in a book for wliich I sent to Boston yesterday; 
church service as usual by Mr. North ; the Colonel has fit- 
ted up a room specially for the purpose with stoves and 
benches ; it is well attended by the officers and soldiers of 
the Garrison, as well as the prisoners, the Colonel always 
taking part in the service. 

At eleven o'clock this morning the steamer San Jacinto, 
Captain Wilkes, arrived with her prisoners, Messrs. Mason 
and Slidell, and Messrs. Eustis and McFarland, their sec- 
retaries, who were duly installed in their quarters ; they 
looked pleasant and cheerful, and a stranger might have 
suj)posed they were visitors instead of prisoners. 

After delivering them, Captain Wilkes took his ship up 
to Boston to receive the promised ovation, and aid the loyal 
and patriotic people of that city in making asses of them- 
selves. 

Wrote to Mr. John Garrett to know whether he could 
give me any information relative to our confinement, or 



95 

• 

the prospects of a release. Spent the evening in my room 
in writing and listening to the new-comers giving an ac- 
count of themselves and their capture. 

November 25. Passed a restless night, suifering very 
much w^ith Lumbago ; snow until noon, when it turned into 
rain and slush, preventing any out-door exercise ; got 
through the day as well as I could, visiting my neighhors 
and gossiping. Spent the afternoon in Mason and Slidell's 
room, listening to a narration of their voyage^ how they 
ran the blockade at Charleston, their arrival at, and recep- 
tion in Havana, their capture by the San Jacinto, their 
treatment by Captain Wilkes, (which was courteous, he 
giving up his own cabin to them,) and their voyage to this 
place. The United States Marshal with some of his depu- 
ties joined the ship oif New York, and endeavored to 
make an exhibition of their " loyalty" by rudeness towards 
the prisoners, assuming that they had charge of tliem, 
which was instantly stopped. Captain Wilkes informing 
tlie Marshal that he commanded the shi}), and the New 
York officers were only passengers ; found their conversa- 
tion very interesting and their genuine Habanas delicious. 

After writing for an hour in the evening, making up my 
mess accounts for the week, had a visit from Mr. Eustis 
and Mr. McFarland; they take their capture and im])rison- 
ment very composedly, being confident that England will 
demand their surrender, and restoration on the deck of a 
national English vessel ; on the whole they rather appear 
gratified at it, believing it will hasten the rupture, which 
they tlunk inevitable, between England and the North. 
I am not sufficiently versed in such matters to know 
wliether the belief is well founded ; before leaving, Mr. Mc 
Farland entertained us with music on the guitar, having 
an excellent voice ; his opera music was entirely too scien- 
tific for me ; the ballads were delightful. 

To-day, Mrs. Gelston, the lady who was so kind to the 
prisoners at Fort LaFayette, sent us a large box of 
provisions, which was distributed among the Hatteras 



96 

prisoners, as tliey have to live altogether on the Govern- 
ment rations ; a large lot also came from Mr. Milbourne, 
the blind preacher ; thirty turkeys, which were in like 
manner distributed, reserving a small portion for our mess. 

November 26. Suffered very much last night from 
Lumbago, day cold and raw, with occasional snow, the 
morning's boat brought down the Marshal with orders to 
release thirteen prisoners on taking the oath of allegiance, 
nine took it and departed, the other four refused. 

Of the nine, seven were inmates of " number Forty-five," 
one of whom remarked to me as he passed out, that "he 
had been stunk into taking the oath," the other two were 
my former room mates, Messrs. Quinlan and Landing, 
members of the Maryland Legislature ; Quinlan has been 
sick for a long time with a chronic dysentery, and would 
have died if detained much longer ; he has repeatedly 
offered to take the oath, with a view of saving his life, but 
has hitherto been refused ; Landing's habits are bad, being 
drunk whenever he could get the liquor, and particularly 
so to-day, having smuggled two bottles of whiskey into 
his room, in addition to the one allowed by the regulations ; 
he was too drunk to know whether he w^ere taking the oath 
of allegiance to Wm. H. Seward, or the Emperor of Japan ; 
tlie Government need not be afraid of either of them ; great 
rejoicing among their room mates at their departure : sick- 
ness and drunkenness are disagreeable companions in 
crowded rooms. 

Our mess continues to improve ; fare now equal to any 
of the hotels ; the only trouble is I eat too much for so 
little exercise. 

To lessen the trouble, and at the same time make it more 
agreeable, we have arranged with Mason and Slidell and 
their secretaries, to have supper alternately in each other's 
rooms, this gives us the servants of both rooms to wait on 
the table : and Eustis is a capital good cook, (Kane thinks 
lie is, but it is a mistake) — the advantage of this arrange- 
ment is on our side, as their stock of stores is more exten- 



97 

sive than ours ; I have been unanimously elected to brew 
the whiskey punch at ten o'clock ; perhaps this mark of 
confidence was extended because I happen to bo the only 
one who has a stock of Scotch and Irish whiskey, but it 
may be I make it better than any of the others. 

After supper, Mason and Slidell went over the whole 
subject of International Law as applicable to their case, 
and did not, for a moment, entertain a doubt of the result ; 
Mr. Mason went so far as to make a calculation of the time 
they would remain in Fort Warren; he said the Captain of 
the "Trent," which vessel only went as far as St. Thomas, 
would deem the matter of sufficient importance to go to 
England himself and report in person, that he would arrive 
at Southampton on the 28th of November, and immediately 
take an express train for London : that the news would be 
instantly telegraphed all over England and create an 
unparalleled excitement : public meetings w^ould be held 
in every direction calling upon the government to demand 
immediate reparation for the outrage and insult to the 
British flag : that the government would within five days 
dispatch a special messenger of rank, with a positive demand 
for their surrender, and an ample apology for tlie outrage, 
with instructions to Lord Lyons, if refused, to demand his 
passjoorts and return home immediately ; that in view of a 
possible refusal, England would immediately prohibit the 
exportation of military stores, and commence shipping- 
troops and munitions of war to Canada : that on the arrival 
of the messenger in Washington, Mr. Seward would ask a 
few days grace for the sake of appearances, which would 
be granted : that in spite of all the bluster of the press, he 
would make a virtue of necessity and yield to tlie demands 
of England : that a British ship of war would be sent to 
Fort Warren from either Halifax or Bermuda : that they 
would leave on or about the 1st January, and by the 15th 
January, would be at their respective posts in London and 
Paris. 

The experience of Mr. Mason on questions of Inter- 
national Law, acquired by many years' service as Chairman 



98 

of the Committee on Foreign Eelations in Congress, per- 
haps authorizes him to make this statement in advance, 
"nous verrons." 

While sipping the punch, Colonel Pegram and Mr. 
McFarland entertained us with some fine singing and music 
on the guitar, which they continued long after the lights 
were put out, and we went to bed. 

November 27. One of the marvels of this wonderful 
climate, a clear, calm, warm, shining day, about equal to 
June weather in Maryland ; in all probability we shall 
have a gale of wind and a snow storm before morning. 

Another arrival to-day, Captain Tatnall, of the Navy, 
just returned from the coast of Africa, and one departure, 
Mr, Langley, of New Orleans. Spent most of the morn- 
ing in collecting mess dues for the week, and writing to 
Boston for provisions ; had to visit all the rooms, and found 
the universal subject of discussion was International Law, 
all contending that the laws of nations were violated in the 
capture of Mason and Slidell, except Mr. Faulkner, Avho 
took the opposite ground, while he regretted it; went back 
to my own room and found the same subject under discus- 
sion, Mr. Mason going over the whole ground to a numer- 
ous audience which had dropped in to hear him ; mail came 
in Avith papers from Boston and New York, nothing in 
them but Mason and Slidell and International Law, all 
agreeing that Captain Wilkes had immortalized himself, 
and some naming him for the next President of the United 
States ; many of them insisting that England ought to be 
whi2)ped any how, as a punishment for her sympathy for 
the rebels ; long account of the grand banquet given to 
Captain Wilkes in Boston, and the very effectual manner 
in which Grovernor Andrews and the " solid men" of that 
city made fools and asses of themselves. 

One of the Boston papers contained a very interesting 
letter from " their Fort Warren correspondent," describ- 
ing the arrival and reception of Mason and Slidell; their 
villainous, cut-throat looking countenances ; their baggage, 



99 

consisting of a small amount of clothing and a large 
amount of liquors and cigars; the close confinement in 
their dungeon apartments ; their dinner, (the fellow had 
the ill-manners to peep through the hars,) consisting of 
salt pork, bread and bean soup, served on tin plates and 
eaten with an iron spoon ; how Slidell, whose habits were 
supposed to be more luxurious than Mason's, turned up his 
nose at food that was too good for them, and how thank- 
ful they ought to be to a humane and merciful government 
for not hanging them as traitors, &c., &c. 

Eead the letter this evening to Mason and Slidell at the 
supper table, while they were discussing some terrapins 
and oysters from Maryland, and a very fine boned turkey 
from Cranston, of the New York Hotel; noticed the sen- 
tinels as they passed the windows looking wistfully in, 
doubtless regretting they were not inside and we outside. 

After supper we were again entertained with the voices 
and guitars of Pegram and McFarland until bed-time. 

November 28. Snow, rain, hail and slush until mid-day 
when the sun came out, but the ground was unfit for exer- 
cise ; quite a large number of prisoners discharged to-day, 
fourteen from Kentucky, including the idiot, and Mr. 
Carter from Baltimore ; the former had not a dollar among 
the whole party, and Governor Morehead protested in the 
strongest terms against the cruelty of turning those men 
adrift, seven or eight hundred miles from home, with no 
means of reacliing there; we had been in the habit of 
taking up a collection among ourselves to defray the ex- 
penses of individual prisoners who were discharged, to 
their homes, but this lot was too large for our limited 
means ; after a long discussion, the Colonel and the Marshal 
from Boston i)romised they should be sent home at the 
expense of the Government. 

All of them took the oath, and went through the usual 
search by the Marshal, a most searching operation. When 
a prisoner is released on parole of honor, he packs up his 
baggage, which is sent to the wharf for him, takes leave 



100 

of his friends, and departs like a gentleman ; if he takes 
the oath of allegiance, he is not permitted to leave his 
room until he finally departs ; a guard is placed over him 
to see that he does not communicate with the other 
prisoners ; when ready, he and his baggage are taken to 
the office, and undergo a rigid examination from the 
Marshal or some of his deputies, even to the shaking out 
of every shirt and handkerchief to see that nothing is con- 
cealed in them. I was accidentally a witness this morning, 
to the search of Carter's trunk, the Marshal was on his 
knees carefully taking out each article, opening and 
shaking it, and even reading over the letters from Carter's 
wife, which had already been read before he received them, 
while Carter was standing meekly looking on ; I could not 
help expressing my indignation at the insult in very plain 
terms ; the Marshal looked up in amazement at the temerity 
of a prisoner in thus addressing him, expecting me to 
wilt under his withering gaze, but finding I did'nt, quietly 
resumed his dirty work. It is evident they have no con- 
fidence in the man who would accept his liberty on such 
terms and regard him as degraded, and I think they are 
right, although in Carter's case the circumstances which 
impelled him to take the oath, justified him in so doing ; 
we were all sorry to part with him, for apart from being 
an agreeable companion, he was very useful ; the North 
Carolina officers will particularly miss him, as he under- 
took the management of their mess, and kept the accounts. 
At twelve o'clock orders were given for us to repair to 
our rooms ; while wondering what could be the object, and 
thinking, perhaps, it was to prepare for shipping us to 
Sandusky Island or Fort Mackinaw, somewhere in the direc- 
tion of sun set, with which we had been threatened, an 
oflicer made his appearance in the room, and with great 
ceremony and dignity, read us a State paper signed by 
William H. Seward, forbidding the prisoners to employ 
counsel in their behalf, assuring them that employment of 
counsel would be regarded by the State Dejiartment as 
additional cause for continuing their imprisonment; a 



101 

queer doctrine, not laid down I believe, in any of the law 
books, asked liim for a copy of the precious document, he 
excused himself on tlie ground that he had to read it to all 
the prisoners, and would not have time to copy it before 
the boat returned. 

Spent the evening in my small room, reading, writing 
and playing back-gammon with Colonel Pcgram and 
Mr. JdcFarland. 

November 29. Snow and rain all day, preventing any 
out door exercise, so spent the day in reading, writing, 
back-gammon and visiting the neighbors. One arrival 
to-day, Mr. Fuller, of Lexington, Ky., of course he has 
not done anything, that's the uniform story of all new 
comers ; iind the discussion on International Law still con- 
tinues, a little of it does very well, but am getting tired 
of it ; this evening. Colonel Pegram, after reading an hour 
in my little room, remarked that Mason would be in 
presently_, and as he had had a surfeit of the laws of nations, 
he would spend the evening in Major Grillam's room, 
where he could listen to something else by way of variety ; 
in a few minutes he returned and proposed a game of 
back-gammon, asked him what brought him back so soon, 
said he found Mason in the room with a large audience 
round him, going over the whole subject. 

Mason came in at ten, in time for the whiskey punch, 
and remained an hour ; got him on other and more interest- 
ing subjects ; he has fine conversational powers. 

November 30. Snow and slush all day, with a beautiful 
starry night, fanny climate this; usual in-door routine, 
reading, writing, visiting, smoking, playing back-gam- 
mon, any thing to kill time, hard work to get through the 
day. 

Among the Hatteras prisoners are four negroes who 
were servants to the officers, and accompanied them hither; 
two are free and two slaves, all have families at home, and 
since the cold weather has set in they have become dis- 



102 

satisfied and wish to return home ; a few days ago Major 
Gillam wrote to the State Department stating the circum- 
stances and asking permission to send them hack ; to-day 
Colonel Dimick received orders to discharge them on their 
taking that universal governmental panacea, "the oath of" 
allegiance to the United States," the negroes were sent for, 
but indignantly refused ; the first one, a free negro, when 
the oath was read to him replied, "Lor hless you massa 
Dimick, I can't take no such oaf as dat : I'm a secesh 
nio'o;er ;" the next was a slave who wanted to know if 
"Massa Greorge had taken dat oaf/" and on being informed 
in the negative, replied, "I can't take no oaf dat massa 
George won't take." So the poor darkies will have to 
remain until there is a general discharge. One of the free 
negroes owns several thousand dollars of property in North 
Carolina, and is very uneasy lest the "dam Yankees," as 
he terms them, will destroy it, yet would not take the oath 
to save it ; I remarked to him that perhaps he had better 
have taken it and gone home, he promptly replied, "I 
ain't going out here on no dishonorable terms." I fear 
the suggestion has impaired his good opinion of me, for on 
asking him shortly afterwards to bring me a bucket of water 
from the pump, he did it very reluctantly. 

December 1. — Sunday. Delicious, balmy morning ; did 
not go to churcli as I ought to have done ; the fact is I am 
losing fast Avhat little piety I ever had, and fear if I remain 
here much longer I shall have none left — the region seems 
anti-religious. Spent the most of the day in the open air^ 
for fear this will be the last fine day of the winter; in the 
evening read aloud for my companions and wrote to the 
Rev. E. N. Kirk, of Boston, who has sent us a number of 
bound volumes of his sermons, and kindly offered to preach 
for us ; accepting his offer and thanking him for his remem- 
brance of tliose in "bonds" and requesting him to preach 
on next Sabbath from the following text: 

"For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner 
and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him;" 



103 

Acts, c. 25, V. 27. Perhaps Mr. Kirk may consider that 
doctrine "disL^yal" and not adapted to the civilization of 
the present day, perhaps not. We will see. 

December 2. Nothing to break the monotony of the 
day but the arrival of six more prisoners, hard looking 
cases, who were quartered in number forty-five ; found on 
going to that delectable room that they were fishermen, 
captured with their fishing batteaux on the Potomac 
river, on their way home to Baltimore; among them were 
two Shany's, fatlier and uncle of John Sliany, a notorious 
rowdy of Baltimore, and as it is sometimes called, of a bad 
breed ; they were both old men, very ragged and dirty : 
the captain of the steam tug, who captured them, found 
six hundred dollars in gold, on searching them, which 
convinced him they were rebels, so he confiscated the gold, 
and sent them to Fort McHenry, whence they were trans- 
ferred to Fort Warren ; I think the captain was right, for 
the possession of that amount in gold on their persons 
would have been proof positive to my mind, that they had 
taken a load of "contraband," to Virginia, and were 
returning with the proceeds, using their fishing boat as a 
blind, but whether right or wrong, the captain made a 
good thing of it, for it is not likely they will ever hear of 
their gold again.* Another burial to-day, from among 
the Hatteras prisoners. 

*They were released a few days afterwards, on taking the usual oath of 
allegiance. There must have been some mistake in sending them to Fort 
Warren, five hundred miles from where they were captured, as they were 
ready at any moment, to take any description of oath required of them. 
Their room mates told me they had been taking some medicines to Virginia, 
and were returning when arrested. If this be so, I wish them better luck 
next time. I believe this is the only instance in the history of the world, 
that any nation, claiming to be civilized, has made medicines "contra- 
band of war." England tried it once, but it created such a storm of 
indignation all over Europe, that the ministry were compelled to rescind 
it. Sidney Smith's celebrated letters on this subject, " War on the 
Gallipots,''' published at the period referred to, settled that matter forever, 
in Europe, and ought to be re-published in this country at this time. It 
annoys me that so foul a blot should be in the history of my native country. 



104 

December 3. Very unwell to-day, did not go out of my 
room until eleven, Marshal came down in the boat from 
Boston witli orders to release Dr. Lynch, on condition of 
his taking the oath and resigning his scat in the Senate of 
Maryland; and Dr. McGill, on condition of his taking the 
oath ; both declined. 

Mayor Brown received a parole of thirty days to visit 
Boston, with permission to go anywhere in Massachusetts; 
in all i)robability some arrangement will be made at the 
expiration of that time by which he will not return, but 
be permitted to go home. Spent the evening in reading 
and 23laying back-gammon with Captain De Lagnel, and 
in writing a long letter home ; very cold to-night, had to 
break the ice in the pitcher to get a glass of water. 

I received a piece of information to-day, that is worth 
recording. Mr. BLair^ one of the cabinet at Washington, 
(if I am rightly informed,) has always opposed the system 
of arbitrary arrests, as a matter of both principle and 
policy — and more particularly has opposed the continued 
incarceration of the Maryland State prisoners. 

A few days since, at his instance, a cabinet meeting was 
held on that subject, at which he insisted on the uncondi- 
tional release of the Maryland prisoners, and after a hard 
struggle succeeded in getting an order passed for their 
release; on the day following, a self-constituted committee 
of "Loyal" men from Baltimore, nearly all of whom 
were speculating on the Government in some shape or 
form, made their appearance in Wasliington, and presented 
a sycoi)hantic address to tlie President, craving for further 
Government patronage for the City of Baltimore, and 
telling the President, "Already has your excellency, by 
removing from our midst incendiary jioliticians, and by 
surrounding our City with a force to repel invasion, laid 
the foundation of affection and gratitude; sentiments 
which may be perpetuated by affording to our citizens 
work which the Government requires, and which tliey are 
anxious and able to perform." 



105 

The result was, that the order for our release was 
immediately revoked. Two or three of the more decent 
of the party, when they discovered the damage they had 
done, insisted that they never read the address and knew 
nothing of its contents until they lieard it read to the 
President, notwithstanding their names were signed to it; 
one of them, who felt particularly sore about it, went so 
far as to publish a card to that effect. 

December 4. Mr. Brown left us to-day on his visit to 
Boston; occupied the morning in collecting the mess dues 
for the week, and undertook a new duty, hitherto per- 
formed by Mr. Brown^ that of receiving all the liquors that 
came into the Fort and distributing a bottle daily to each 
room; this is a regulation by Colonel Dimick to prevent 
excesses ; there is some discretion allowed, and the wines 
intended for the mess table are not interfered with ; being 
considered discreet ! ! enough by the Colonel to take charge 
of this important position, I am permitted to use my own 
judgment in going beyond the daily allowance, and the 
probability is I shall have a quarrel on my hands before 
long with some thirsty people who cannot see why any dis- 
tinction is made, when they buy and pay for their own 
liquor. 

Captain De Lagnel is quite sick to-day with the mumps, 
a disease that is spreading among the prisoners. 

Letters from home, pleasant and cheerful ; they expect 
me soon. 

December 5. Nothing of interest to-day ; weather plea- 
sant and suitable for out-door exercise. Commodore Bar- 
ron has given his bed in my little room to Captain De 
Lagnel temporarily during his sickness, which keeps me 
out of the apartment for fear of disturbing him. 

December 6. Great commotion among the North Caro- 
lina people to-day : two hundred and fifty of them are to 
be sent home for exchange : Colonel Dimick has orders to 
6 



106 

select for that purpose, first the sick, and then the married ; 
how far, in an exchange of prisoners, it is proper to pick 
out those classes in return for sound people I do not know ; 
one of their officers informed me to-day that three hundred 
of them were suddenly taken sick on receiving the news ; 
2)Oor fellows ! I have no doubt they are anxious to get home, 
for they have had a hard time of it. 

Four new prisoners came in to-day — Messrs. Myers, For- 
rest, Dehree and Glassell, all Lieutenants in the Navy, 
just returned from a three years' absence in the East Indies, 
knowing nothing of the state of affairs here, and immedi- 
ately sent to Fort Warren because they were Southerners, 
and refused to fight their own people ; one of them. Lieuten- 
ant Myers, had his wife and children awaiting his arrival 
in New York, but was refused to see them ; this appears to 
me to be the most brutal of all the arrests : two of them, 
Myers and Glassell, were quartered in my room. 

After going to bed to-night, Captain De Lagnel, who 
could not get to sleep, gave me an account of his defeat 
and subsequent capture :* he was attached to a small army 
in Western Virginia under General Garnett, in the regi- 
ment commanded by Colonel Pegram ; which regiment was 
detailed to cover the retreat of the main body ; with but 
seven hundred men, they kept five regiments at bay for an 
entire day, long enough to effect the safety of the larger 
body, but were finally overpowered and captured ; De Lagnel 
was badly wounded, a ball passing entirely through his 
side ; he told me that when the rout commenced, fearing 
he would be trampled to death by the advancing columns, 

* The reader will doubtless remember the celebrated Naj^oleonic pro- 
clamations of General McClellan after the battle of Rich Mountain — 
'■'■Soldiers you have vanquished two armies.'''' The two armies, according 
to Colonel Pegram' s account, consisted of 2,200 men under General Gar- 
land and 700 under Colonel Pegram ; they were hemmed in the mountains 
and out of food — the latter were captured, the former escaped with a loss 
of 30 men. 

In the printed evidence now before me, taken before some military com- 
mittee in Washington, it appears that General McClellan' s army (by hig 
own admission) amounted to 35,000 men. 



107 

he crawled to the road side and hid in some bushes, still 
where he could see what was going on ; the first body that 
came up was an Indiana regiment, who paused only long 
enough to run their bayonets through every loounded man on 
the field who showed the least signs of life, and then passed 
on ; when night came he managed to reach a house in the 
neighborhood, occupied by a widow woman who had several 
sons ; fortunately they were Southern in their feelings, and 
took him in, keeping him concealed in the house for over a 
month, notwithstanding the house was searched several 
times, some suspicion having attached to the family ; 
finally, having recovered sufiiciently to be able to walk, 
and fearful of compromising the family by remaining 
longer with them, he determined to try and make his way 
to the Eastern part of Virginia ; taking with him a small 
wallet of provisions kindly furnished by the old lady, he 
departed, but lost his way in the mountains, and after suf- 
fering much hardship for want of food and shelter, was on 
the sixth day captured by the picket guards of McClellan's 
army ; on being questioned by his captors, he represented 
himself to be a cattle driver, and had been in the moun- 
tains searching for lost cattle : they were about releasing 
him, when one of the soldiers, an Irishman, exclaimed, 
"Be Jasus, he's no cattle driver, look at them boots, 
they did not cost less than ten dollars!" the soles were 
gone, but the patent leather tops betrayed him, and 
they took him into the camp. Fearing his personal safety, 
until he could meet with some ofiicer of rank, to whom 
he could make himself known, he repeated the same 
story to the Cai^tain of the Guard, who immediately replied, 
''It is useless, sir, for you to tell that story, cattle drivers 
do not speak the pure English that you do : who are you?" 
' ' Then I am Captain De Lagnel of the Confederate Army. ' ' 
The officer replied, "I am glad to see you, and that you 
have avowed yourself; first, because we have been search- 
ing for you a long time, knowing you were concealed some- 
where in the neighborhood ; and secondly, that you may 
receive the treatment due to your position ;" he was taken 



108 

the next day to General McClellan's head quarters, who 
placed him under his parole, when entirely recovered from 
his wound, to report himself to Colonel Burke, at Fort 
LaFayette ; he then went to Bedford Springs, and remained 
until entirely well, when he repaired to Fort LaFayette and 
surrendered himself, and after being kept there for several 
weeks, was transferred to Fort Columbus, and finally to 
Fort Warren ; a few days ago he received the likeness of 
his wife, and his Bible, which McClellan recovered from 
the soldiers who rifled his trunk after the battle; he 
appears to be a favorite of General McClellan, and especially 
so of Colonel Dimick, who frequently calls in to see him, — 
some negotiations are going on for his exchange with a 
Captain Bicketts, now a prisoner in Richmond, and he 
feels very anxious lest he may not get well before the 
order for his release reaches here and so detain him. 

I was much amused last evening at a conversation I 
accidentally overheard, between some of the garrison 
officers. I had gone to the front door to enjoy the fresh 
air, the rooms being over heated; a group of officers were 
standing a few feet from the door conversing on the subject 
of exchanges. Negotiations were then going on for the 
exchange of Colonel Pegram and Captain DeLagnel, for 
officers of similar rank, then prisoners in Richmond. One 
of the officers remarked, that it was a piece of d — d non- 
sense in the United States Government to exchange suclf 
men as Pegram and DeLagnel for anybody they had in 
Richmond.* 

December 7. Beautiful spring-like day ; wonderful cli- 
mate this. Spent most of the day out of doors walking 
and chatting with every body ; De Lagnel still sick, and 
getting worse, which keeps me out of my room. No Bal- 
timore papers received now for tliree days ; can't account 

*jANf ARY, 1862. PerliaiDS he was right, for Pegram is now a Brigadier 
General, and commanded the cavalry that so annoyed the rear of Rosen- 
crans' army at the battle of Murfreesboro', and DeLagnel has an important 
command in North Carolina. 



109 

for this, unless our masters have stopped them, thinking 
we are learning too much of the world outside. 

Mr. Grady, one of the old police officers from Baltimore, 
discharged to day, got up a subscription of twelve dollars 
to send him home ; the Government don't undertake to 
send to their homes those who are discharged, and Grady 
did not happen to have a cent in his pocket ; the most the 
Government will do is to take the discharged prisoner to 
Boston and land him on the wharf. Spent the evening in 
Mason and Slidell's room ; had another dish of Interna- 
tional Law ; went to bed late. We are now allowed to 
burn our lights until eleven, and the guards rarely inter- 
fere if we burn them later ; my room mate very restless, 
and imagines he will have a tedious illness. 

December 8. — Sunday. Another spring-like day ; ser- 
vice as usual by the Eev. Mr. North ; the Colonel and most 
of the Garrison officers present ; my room mate still very 
sick, which keeps me much out of my room as he requires 
quiet ; read until eleven and went to bed. 

December 9. Weather still more mild, resembling a 
June day at home; received all the missing papers to-day, 
so our mail matter was not stopped as we feared. Mr. 
Charles J. Faulkner left us to-day^ to go to Eichmondand 
return in thirty days, unless he can get himself exchanged 
for Mr. Ely,* the Congressman who went to Bull Run to see 
the fun, and was captured. f 

Faulkner's arrest was one of the most outrageous ever 
perpetrated. He was Minister to France, and when super- 

*Mr. Ely, on his return liome, published quite an interesting book on 
his capture and prison life in Virginia. In it, he refers to the numerous 
bogus letters which were published in the Northern Journals, purporting 
to come from Federal prisoners in Eichmond, detailing their sufferings 
and horrible treatment, and has the candor to express his regret that the 
Northern papers deemed it necessary to keep up the military ardor of their 
people by the manufacture of such ridiculous and untruthful stories. 

t January, 1862. Faulkner succeeded in making the exchange for Ely, 
and after remaining in private life for a year, recently joined the army as 
Adjutant General of the army under General Joseph E. Johnston. 



110 

seded returned to the country. Went to Wasliington, 
settled his accounts with the State Department, asked for 
and received a safe-conduct to pass the lines and return to 
his home in Virginia ; while in the act of starting he was 
arrested and confined in the common jail in Washington ; 
the remonstrance of some of his friends among the foreign 
ministers caused his removal after a week's confinement in 
jail to a hetter prison, where he was kej^t a month, and 
then sent to Fort LaFayette. 

He wrote to Seward, who had in person furnished him 
with the safe-conduct, complaining of the outrage ; Seward 
replied he had nothing to do with it, that Cameron had 
him arrested ; on applying to Cameron to know the cause^ 
he replied that he had him arrested as a hostage for Mr. 
Magraw who was sent to Virginia to look for the body of 
Cameron's brother, who was killed at Manassas, and had 
been captured by the Confederates and taken to Richmond. 

Faulkner wrote to Richmond and obtained the release of 
Magraw, expecting his own discharge immediately to fol- 
low ; he was then informed that he was no longer a pris- 
oner of Cameron but a prisoner of State, or rather of Sew- 
ard, and would be held for State reasons; but as the 
Republican party are very anxious to get back Mr. Ely, 
who is one of their big guns, the arrangement has been 
made for Mr. Faulkner to go to Richmond. 

This is the first instance, since tlie safe-conduct given to 
John Huss, by the Emperor Sigismund, now nearly five 
hundred years ago, that a safe-conduct, regarded as the 
most sacred of all pledges, has ever been violated by any 
civilized nation ; perhaps the excuse was, in principle, the 
same in both cases ; in the loose theology of that day, the 
emperor was advised by the clergy that he was not bound 
to keep faith with heretics : and the Government doubtless 
came to the conclusion that they were not bound to keep 
faith with rebels. 

Faulkner certainly expects to be successful in his mis- 
sion, for he has distributed his stores and personal effects 
among his friends. 



Ill 

The Colonel gave permission to the prisoners to-day to 
use the parade ground to play foot ball, and for some hours 
it was a pleasant and exciting scene ; they went at it like 
boys, in fact I kicked the ball a few times myself— after 
we had finished, the Hatteras privates took their turn at it. 
Received letters from home ; wife very much distressed at 
my continued absence ; De Lagnel still very sick, and my 
next neighbor in the adjoining room very ill : could hear 
his groans all night ; spent the evening in making up my 
mess accounts and writing home ; at supper, in Mason and 
Slidell's room, had a nice dish of Maryland terrapins. 
Durrett, of Kentucky, left us to-day, took the oath, and 
was consequently Avell searched. 

December 10. Heavy fog this morning, which cleared 
away by ten o'clock, giving us another beautiful day, which 
the North Carolina people availed of for another game of 
foot-ball. 

At twelve, the boat from Boston brought down Major 
General B. F. Butler and his staff on a visit of inspection 
to the Fort : first time I have seen the Greneral since the 
memorable day he dined at the Gilmor House in Baltimore, 
and subsequently found so much difficulty in mounting his 
horse: looked as natural as he did then, except that the 
cigar, at an angle of forty-five degrees, was not in his 
mouth, and his locomotion was steadier ; made a show of 
generosity by bringing to Major Andrews his letter-book 
and papers that were taken from him at his capture at Fort 
Hatteras. 

When Mayor Brown went to Boston last week, he very 
naturally stopped at the house of his brother-in-law, re- 
siding in that city. The Boston papers of this morning 
contain a number of scurrilous articles abusing his brother- 
in-law for '■'■harboring a traitor!'''^ It is really painful 



* Mayor Brown — A Remarkable Admission by Mr. Seward. — A most 
vulgar and shameful attack is made in the Evening Transcript of yester- 
day, upon one of our most estimable and inoffensive citizens. It comes 
under the head of "sneaks and cowards."' It seems that Mayor Brown, 



112 

to read the Boston newspapers, the press of the "Athens of 
America," and see the diligence with which they labor to 
stir up the basest passions of the multitude into a hatred 
of every thing South or Southern, stopping at no lie, how- 
ever glaring, that will answer their purpose with the 
ignorant; their venom appears particularly directed to- 
wards us ; scarcely a day passes but they have some bogus 
letter or information from Fort Warren, with which to 
regale and delight tlteir readers. We are styled "The 
Rebels at Fort Warren ;" ' •' The Traitors at Fort Warren ;'" 
"The Miserable Wretches at Fort Warren;" "The 
Deluded Wretches at Fort Warren;" "The Wretched 
Creatures at Fort Warren ;" " The Political Scoundrels at 
Fort Warren," and worse than all, the most disparaging 
accounts are given of our personal appearance. We were 
under the impression that, on the whole, we were tolerably 
good looking, and well dressed, but they represent us as 
having villianous countenances, unshaven, dirty, and rag- 
ged ; of weak, puny frames and small statue, in striking 
contrast with the stalwart sons of the North, and about an 

of Baltimore, is out of Fort Warren on parole, not to leave the State. 
Naturally enough, he repairs to the house of the citizen aforesaid, that 
house being the dwelling of his own sister, who is the wife of the citizen 
in question. This is called b}' the Transcript "harboring a traitor." Of 
course, on this theory, the Government are "sneaks and traitors," for let- 
ting Mayor Brown be at large. 

The gentleman who has thus, according to the Transcript, been guilty 
of "harboring a traitor," is a physician highly respected in his profession, 
and so well known for charitable deeds, that one can hardly conceive of 
the malignant spirit which could prompt such an attack upon him. It can 
only be characterized as the basest sort of prying into the privacy of 
domestic life, and a gross assault upon all the sympathies and affections of 
human nature. 

We have heard by the way, that a deputation of respectable and loyal 
Baltimore people waited on the Secretary, in regard to Mayor Brown, to 
learn why he was confined. It was asked — "Has Mr. Brown been guilty 
of any treason?" The answer was "None, that I know of." "Do you 
suspect him of disloyalty ?" "T have no reason to do so." "Then, pray, 
why do you imprison him ?" " Because he happens to be an obstacle in 
our way." We give the statement as we heard it; and his release on 
parole, to remain in Massachusetts, seems to confirm the story. — Bostoti 
Courier, Dec. 10. 



113 

average specimen of Soutliern physical imbecility, and 
with the exception of a few desperate characters, exceed- 
ingly penitent, and imploring the Government for pardon 
and forgiveness for having wickedly rebelled against the 
best government on earth ; all of which is doubtless duly 
believed by nine-tenths of the people of New England.* 

Quite an entertaining newspaper political fight is now 
going on in Boston; the municipal election is at hand, 
and the present Mayor desires a re-election. On the 
arrival of the prisoners at Fort Warren, when the fact 
was made known in Boston that a large number were sick, 
and there was no hospital arrangement at the Fort, no 
beds for the sick, and no medicines, the Mayor took the 
responsibility, aided by some charitable people there, of 
furnishing the hospital ; the papers opposed to his re-elec- 
tion are now fiercely denouncing him as a "sympathizer 
with the rebels," and his friends are defending him, some 
on the ground of humanity, and some, that what he did 
was so little as not to justify his condemnation ; as I have 
no interest in the quarrel, I don't care what the result is; 
I merely mention it as a specimen of Bostonianism. 

December 11. Kain all day, preventing out door exercise; 
occupied the morning in collecting the mess dues for the 
week, in reading and playing single handed euchre with 
Governor Morehead, and back-gammon with Colonel Pe- 
gram ; in the evening played a few games of whist with 
Mason, Slidell and Gatchell ; found they were too scientific 
for me, and as they were not disposed to be at all compli- 
mentary in their comments on my skill as a player, gave 

* Scarcely a day passed that the mail did not bring numbers of anony- 
mous letters to Colonel Dimick, denouncing him as a traitor for his 
humane treatment of the prisoners in his charge, and threatening him 
with all sorts of vengeance. The Colonel quietly put them into the fire 
as fast as opened; as time wore on, a change took place, and the Boston 
people gradually learned to speak of the Colonel, and even of the prison- 
ers, with some respect ; while the fever was at its height, Gov. Andrews 
felt impelled to announce publicly in Boston ^^that he regarded Benedict 
Arnold a saint when compared with the Fort Warren rebels.''^ 



114 

my place to Eustis, while I took a game at back-gammon 
with McFarland. Slidell suggested that I was better 
skilled in brewing punch than playing whist, took the hint 
and prepared it, while McFarland got out some bread and 
butter, and a couple of jars of Pate defois gras. 

My temporary room mate recovering from his mumps, 
much to my gratification ; in the first place, a sick man in 
a room ten by twelve, is not a desirable companion, 
however agreeable in other respects, and in the second 
place, mumps are said to be catching ! 

December 12. Another beautiful day, intensely cold in 
the morning, but moderating towards noon, the ball 
players enjoyed it very much ; another prisoner released 
to-day, Sommers, of Baltimore, One of my room mates, 
George Appleton, put in the guard house for impudence 
to one of the garrison officers ; after remaining there a 
few hours, at the instance of Commodore Barron and 
Colonel Pegram, the Colonel released him, but ordered 
him to remain a close prisoner in his own room. We all 
tell George he has done wrong, and advise him to go to 
the officer and make an apology, but boy like, he is stub- 
born, and refuses ; two or three days will bring him to his 
senses. I cannot conceive why the Government keeps him 
here, a mere child, utterly incapable of doing them any 
harm. 

December 13. Very dull day, spent most of it in the 
unprofitable labor of endeavoring to unravel some Chinese 
puzzles, brought home by the naval officers from the East 
Indies, and in looking over several hundred stereoscopic 
views from China and Japan, some of them different from 
any I had ever seen, the same picture representing, 
according to the light thrown on them, scenes by day and 
by night ; these gentlemen have brought with them a 
large quantity of Chinese and Japanese articles, the 
examination of which serves to while away the time. 

Spent the evening in my room, reading, writing and 



115 

chatting with De Lagnel, who is much better, and such 
visitors as dropped in. 

December 14. Took a walk this morning round the 
ramparts in company with twelve or fifteen of the political 
prisoners, by special invitation from two of the officers of 
the Garrison, who went with us. 

The scene was a beautiful one, Boston in the distance, 
the harbor studded with small islands, and the ocean in 
front ; the day clear and bracing ; perhaps it looked more 
pleasing from the fact that for forty-five days I have seen 
nothing but the parade ground, the stone walls that enclose 
it, and the sky above. 

Keceived very pleasant letters from home, also from 
Ward and Matilda, the latter enclosing some of her patri- 
otic poetry, and the former giving a very gloomy picture 
of affairs in Baltimore. W. thinks that apart from my 
absence from my family and my accustomed ways, I am 
losing nothing by being here. Wrote to E. declining to 
accept any release encumbered with conditions, which I 
suppose will keep me here ; spent the evening as usual in 
reading, writing and visiting ; ate a few oysters in No. 7 
and some boned turkey and champaigne in No. 11, and 
dropped in at Mason and Slidell's to finish off with a good 
Habana. 

Captain De Lagnel left us to-day, having been exchanged 
for a Captain Ricketts ; the news of his exchange almost 
made a well man of him ; hope I shall meet him again ; he 
is one of the finest specimens of humanity I have ever met 
with. 

December 15. Another beautiful day, cold but clear, and 
bracing ; church service as usual by Mr. North ; spent the 
afternoon in reading the English papers and their com- 
ments on the capture of Mason and Slidell : looks very 
warlike. Spent the evening in getting up my correspond- 
ence which was falling behind. 



116 

December 16. Gold and stormy, so much so, that the 
boat coukl not land at the wharf to-day, and had to go 
back with our letters, papers, and to-morrow's breakfast 
and dinner ; the occasional missing of the mail and our 
bundles of newspapers, is regarded as a calamity, the lat- 
ter gives us employment from twelve until two, and we 
look for it as regularly and with more impatience than we 
do for our dinner ; after reading the papers, their contents 
afford us subjects for discussion and conversation the balance 
of the day ; for want of other matters to discourse on, the 
subject of International Law was resumed, much to my 
annoyance. The two hundred and fifty Hatteras jH-isoners 
who have been exchanged, were to have left to-day, but 
the storm prevented it. 

December 17. Storm passed awa}^, and at twelve o'clock 
the Hatteras prisoners embarked for their homes : one of 
my room mates. Colonel Bradford, a very estimable gentle- 
man, going witli them; as they were jjassing out of the 
sally-port, one of them stepped out of the ranks and told 
Colonel Dimick that should they ever take him prisoner, 
they would take good care of him. 

The Colonel very kindly took all the remaining North 
Carolina privates on the ramparts to witness the departure : 
he is a good old man ; lost two of our room mates, whose 
places were immediately filled with three others, making 
our quarters more crowded than ever. 

The news from England has created great commotion 
among the prisoners : from present aj^pcarances we shall 
have war with England, for I cannot see how Mr. Seward 
can possibly back down, query? How will it affect the 
chances of our release? badly I fear. Mr. Mason insists, 
that the Government at Washington, notwithstanding the 
approval of the Secretary of the Navy and the President, 
and the vote of thanks by Congress to Captain Wilkes, 
will surrender them and make any apology England may 
require. Spent the evening in my bed room, reading the 
papers to Commodore Barron, who is sick, and in supping 
round, oysters, terrapins, hot whiskey punch, &c., &c. 



117 

December 18. Charles H. Pitts left this morning on a 
parole of thirty days to visit his family ; the general 
impression is, that he will not return, and for his own 
comfort, I hope it may prove so. I can see no object in 
sending him back, but then, at the same time, I can see 
no object in keeping any of us here, so that amounts to 
nothing ; passed the day as usual. 

December 19. Another warm and pleasant day, of 
which the ball-players took advantage ; one discharge 
to-day, Mr. Cenas, of the Navy, who goes home to be 
exchanged ; passed most of the day in the open air ; find 
the nights are getting long and tedious, dark at half-past 
four, and to bed at eleven ; six and a half hours to get 
through with every evening, a fine opportunity to read, if 
I could settle my mind to it, but the annoyance of being 
here, my unprotected family at home, and the uncertainty 
of the future, prevents anything like continued reading or 
study. When I think of the outrageous manner in which 
I have been treated, dragged from my home at midnight, 
without a moment's warning or preparation ; transported 
from Fort to Fort like a felon ; of ray business affairs 
thrown into confusion, if not ruin ; of my wife and six 
daughters at home without a protector, I lay down the 
book and do a deal of inward swearing. Mr. Slidell 
advised me the other day to do it outwardly, expressing 
tlie belief that it would relieve me, as a flow of tears some- 
times is a relief to dry eyes when in distress. 

December 20. Mr. Kessler, of Frederick County, late 
member of the Maryland Legislature, left us to day ; he has 
been ready for several weeks to take the oath, but somehow 
they had not faith in him. Col. Kane returned to-day from 
his three weeks' leave of absence, reports everything very 
dull and gloomy in Baltimore, saw my family and says they 
are all well. Durant, member of the Legislature from St. 
Mary's, offered the oath but declined it. 



118 

December 21. Usual routine of exercise, reading and 
visiting the neighbors; spentanhourin Governor Morehead's 
room playing cards, and another in Wallis' room listening 
to his reading, and Gatchell's humorous wit ; the latter is 
the life of the room, and never loses his humor or his temper. 

Played back-gammon in the evening with some of the 
naval officers and listened to another discourse from Mason 
on International Law ; made the whiskey punch earlier 
than usual with a view of changing the subject, but that 
only brightened his ideas, and he went on. 

December 22. Mr. North preached his last sermon to- 
day, he has been exchanged and leaves for his home in Vir- 
ginia to-morrow. Mr. Brewer, clerk of the Maryland Sen- 
ate left to-day to visit his family on a parole of thirty days; 
extra good dinner to-day, to which Captain Berry, one of 
the prisoners, added a basket of Champagne. 

December 23. Rain, hail, snow and slush, with a gale 
of w^ind from all points of the comj^ass, converting the 
parade ground into a huge mud puddle whicli I had to cross 
twice during the morning. Mr, North left us to-day, hav- 
ing been exchanged for some regimental parson captured at 
Bull Run, we fitted him out with a good suit of clothing, 
and gave him thirty dollars out of the mess fund to take 
him home, a small return for his services in the Chapel ; we 
are now without a minister.* 

The approach of Christmas is bringing to us the kind re- 
membrances of friends from all parts of the country, and 
the indications to-day are that we shall have provisions 
enough to feed the whole of the remaining five hundred 
prisoners during Christmas week. Six large boxes came 
by the Boat to-day, from Washington County, Md., con- 
signed to Dr. McGill and Mr. Alvey,t of Hagerstown, with 



*Mr. North returned to his home at Charlestown, Va., only to be driven 
from it in a few weeks by the advance of the Federal army. 

fMr. Alvey was released in February on his parole, and returned to 
his home in Hagerstown, but in April was compelled by the mob to leave, 
and took refuge in Canada. 



119 

a list of the contributors, one hundred and thirty in num- 
ber, turkeys, hams, rounds of beef, venison, tongues, in 
fact, everything to eat or to drink that coukl be thought of 
by that number of people. 

The town of "Freedom," in Maine, sends two large 
boxes filled with turkeys, lobsters, salmon, the sweet corn 
of that country and some very fine wines and old brandy ; 
we had among us for some time, two gentlemen from that 
town, who lost their "freedom" for exercising freedom of 
speech; they attempted to make speeches at a "Peace" 
meeting, but the meeting was broken up, and that night 
they were taken out of their beds and sent to Fort LaFayette, 
where, and at Fort Warren, they had the opportunities, for 
four months, of doing penance for the sin of preferring Peace 
to War. Too stormy to take exercise and had to pass the 
day within doors, listening to the usual discussions on 
Mason and Slidell and the chances of a war with England ; 
Mason still persists there Avill be no war, and that the Gov- 
ernment will back out from every position they have taken, 
others think they liave bullied and blustered so much, that 
they cannot back out without making themselves ridiculous 
in the eyes of the whole world ; for the last ten days a 
large force has been engaged in mounting the barbette guns 
of the Fort, and putting it generally in a state of defence. 

A nice mess of oysters cooked by Marshal Kane, with 
some Scotch whiskey-punch, closes the day, or rather the 
night, and to bed at eleven. 

December 24. Mr. John W. Davis, Police Commissioner 
of Baltimore, left us to day on a parole for thirty days ; 
this system is getting quite fashionable ; nothing of interest 
to-day, except the preparations for Christmas, boxes con- 
tinue to arrive from all quarters, with good things for the 
holidays ; mutton and hams from the Eastern shore, can- 
vas-backs, terrapins and oysters from Baltimore, turkej^s 
and geese from everywhere, pound cakes and fruit cakes 
without end ; we shall give the North Carolina privates, and 
the moneyless politicals of number forty-five, such a week's 



120 

feastinfr as will make them ''return to their muttons" of 
salt pork and beans with perfect disgnst. 

This being Christmas-eve, the Colonel kindly sent lis 
word that we could burn tlie lights as long as we desired. 

December 25. Christmas day; spent it pretty much as I 
would have clone at home, only on a smaller scale, visited 
all the rooms, taking a glass of egg-nog here and of apple 
toddy there, had the best dinner of the season, but no one 
appeared disposed to eat it, the egg-nog having supplanted 
the dinner; continued my visits under special permit from 
the Colonel, until eleven, and am sorry to record, went to 
bed forgetting to wind up my watch. 

We had a rich scene this evening in the underground 
apartments tlie other side of the sally-port, in the trial and 
execution of Wm. H. Seward for treason, in having abolished 
the Constitution and the Laws and usurped the Grovernment; 
about fifty of the prisoners were present ard participated in 
it ; a stuffed figure had been made, representing the culprit, 
who was seated in the criminal box ; a judge was selected,* 
twelve jurymen drawn, the prisoner was assigned counsel, 
the prosecuting attorney opened the case, and the exami- 
nation of witnesses went on in due form; speeches were 
made by counsel on both sides, and the case given to the 
jury, who after some deliberation (I fear they were biassed) 
found tlie prisoner at the bar guilty; the judge, after making 
the usual preliminary speech on the enormity of his crimes 
and the justness of his condemnation, pronounced the sen- 
tence and he was immediately executed. One of the garrison 
officers was present, and between the trial and a bucket of 
egg-nog on the table in the corner of the room wdiere he 

*Death of Austin E. Smith. — Major Austin E. Smith, son of Ex-Gov. 
Smith, of Virginia, and formerly Navy Agent at San Francisco, was se- 
verely wounded in the battle before Richmond on the 27th ult., in the 
shoulder. On the 29th his arm was amputated, but he survived the ope- 
ration but a few hours. It will be recollected that Major Smith, on his 
return from California, was arrested on the Isthmus, and for some months 
was confined in Fort Warren, Boston Harbor. — Richmond Enquirer. 



121 

stood, seemed to enjoy it very much. I fear that on awaken- 
ing? next morning, he found his recollection of the doings 
of the previous night very much impaired. 

December 26. Awoke with severe head-ache, the penalty 
of yesterday's indulgence, and spent most of the day in 
bed, received letters from home, informing me that Gene- 
ral Dix had written to Washington to procure a parole for 
thirty days for me, wrote back declining to accept it. 

December 27. Very cold and stormy, out door exercise 
impossible, still unwell and suffering from bad cold, Mr. 
Salmon, member of the Legislature from Frederick County 
discharged to-day, took the oath, and Mr. Oaksmitli, charged 
with fitting out slavers, but suspected of fitting out priva- 
teers, removed to New York for trial.* 

December 28. Intense cold with strong gale of wind, so 
much so that the boat from Boston could not make the 
landing and had to return, consequently no letters or 
papers. 

Without tlie papers and with weather too inclement to 
take exercise, the days are very long ; there are not enough 
card players in the room to make up a party, and back- 
gammon has become tiresome. About ten, the officer who 
was present at the trial of Seward, came in and helped me 



* Oaksmltli was the only prisoner ever sent to any of the Forts on a 
specific charge of an oflFence not political; partly because we did not de- 
sire the company of a slave trader, and partly because we suspected him 
of being a spy, (he having been at the last election in New York a prom- 
inent and active member of the Black Republican party,) although either 
would have been sufficient, we declined to admit him into our mess. 

He was a man of fine personal appearance, intelligent and polished in 
his manners, and took our refusal very hard, in a few days he took a seat 
at the mess-table uninvited, and no notice was taken of it. 

He was removed to the jail in New York city, and during the Spring, 
tried and convicted for being engaged in the slave trade, and sent to the 
Penitentiary for five years, from which he soon made his escape, and 
finally turned up in Havana. 

7 



122 

to drink a Lottie of whiskey, that is, he drank seven-eighths, 
and I the other eighth. 

December 29. Very cold, thermometer some distance be- 
low zero — our chaplain having left us, we did not expect a 
sermon, hut on going to the chapel this morning, whom 
should I find reading the service, but the officer who drank 
my whiskey last night; he had a full clear voice and read 
it better than nine-tenths of the clergymen I have heard ; 
after service Colonel Dimick informed me that he had re- 
ceived orders from Washington to permit me to go home 
for thirty days, told him I would decide in a day or two 
what I would do, spent the evening in writing and reading 
in my little room. 

December 30. Cold and raw ; spent most of the day in my 
room, preparing to leave, having determined to accept the 
proffered parole after much consideration over it. My affairs 
at home are getting into a confused state, and my wife fret- 
ting very much at my absence, and now sick in bed. — 
Most of my friends approve of my going. Some object to it, 
thinking that in so doing I recognize the right of the Gov- 
ernment to keep me a prisoner. I do not think so, as I en- 
ter into no obligation except to return in thirty days. Ma- 
son and Slidell are also preparing to leave,, having received 
official notice of their intended surrender, 

December 31. Another cold and raw day, preventing 
out-door exercise — spent most of the day in my bed-room 
reading and writing ; got up a game of cards in the evening, 
the first in our room since I have been here. Col. Dimick 
sent word in the evening, that as it was New Year's Eve, 
we could burn the lights at pleasure. Determined to show 
our appreciation of his kindness by brewing a second pitcher 
of Punch, and finally a third one, and as the Commodore 
did not drink Whiskey Punch, but was partial to Rum- 
Milk Punchy I sent to the mess room for a gallon can of 
cream that was left over from our Christmas keeping, and 



123 

witli the aid of a bottle of very old rum, presented me by 
Mr. Harrison, very soon concocted a beverage, that if not 
fit for the gods, was certainly appreciated by the Commo- 
dore, colonels, and prisoners of State ; it was tlie most 
delicious thing I ever tasted, rich cream, rum forty years 
old, a little sugar and nutmeg, with a few drops of orange 
juice ; I give the receipt for the benefit of posterity. 

We had numerous visitors during the evening, and about 
mid-night, Lieutenant Moore, of North Carolina, who occu- 
pied the room immediately under us, made a call, (the 
smell of good things will sometimes descend as well as 
ascend,) the ostensible object of his visit was to give Mr. 
Mason a copy of some very clever verses, set to the tune of 
" Dixie," his own composition, which Mr. Mason had heard 
him sing a night or two previous, (Moore has a fine voice) 
and of which Mason had specially requested a copy. Mr. 
Mason took the song, and putting on his specs, carefully 
read aloud each verse, commenting as he went along, and 
pronounced the whole a capital good thing ; folding it up and 
putting it in the side pocket of his coat, he went on to say, 
that he intended on his arrival in London, to have it set to 
music and sung in the theatres, printed and distributed 
among the ballad singers on the streets, played by the 
organ grinders, -in fact he intended to make an ""institution ' ' 
of it ; after singing a song or two, Mr. Moore retired and 
we went to bed. 

January 1. After breakfast this morning, while Mason 
and Slidell were in our room, their own being cleaned up, 
a tap at the door, and Lieutenant Moore came in. "I am 
glad to see you Mr. Moore," said Mason, "I do not know at 
what moment we may leave here, and I want you to give 
me a copy of the song I asked you for a few days since;" 
"why Mr. Mason," said Moore, " I gave it to you last 
night ;" " you did nothing of the kind," said Mason ; "I 
did;" replied Moore, "and Mr. S., who was present, will 
doubtless remember it." "Mr. Mason," said S., "Mr. 
Moore came in last night about twelve, and handed you the 



124 

song ; you read it carefully, witli running comments, and 
stated what you purposed doing with it when you reached 
London;" "I did nothing of the sort," replied Mason, 
"and I really think, Mr. S., you are carrying the joke too 
far ;" "I have no disposition, Mr, Mason," replied S., "to 
carry a joke an unnecessary distance, but I have now a 
distinct recollection that after reading it, you folded it up 
and put it in the side pocket of the coat you now have on." 
Instantly he ran his hand into the pocket, and lo ! it was 
there ; looking alternately at the paper, Mr. Moore and 
S., he turned to S. and quietly remarked, " I'll be d — d if 
I drink any more punch of your brewing ;" nor did he, for 
in a few minutes after, an agent of Mr. Seward's, a Mr. 
Webster, came in and informed him and Mr. Slidell that 
a boat was at the wharf, waiting for them, and they must 
depart instantly. 

Slidell replied he was not ready, and would require two 
or three hours to pack up ; Webster insisted that the boat 
was waiting and they must go within thirty minutes ; 
Slidell, who was not particularly amiable at being thrust 
out of the Fort in this unceremonious manner, and withal 
had been sick for several days, replied in language more 
forcible than chaste that he would not go until he was 
ready, nor did he, for it was nearly twelve o'clock when 
they de})arted. Colonel Dimick particularly requested 
that no demonstration should be made on their departure, 
and that none of the gentlemen should go on the ramparts 
to see them off; their immediate friends took leave of them 
in their room, and the i)risoners generally ranged them- 
selves on each side of the sally-port and uncovered as they 
passed out. I understood during the day from one of the 
officers that they were taken away in one of the small har- 
bor tug boats, and as the boat went straight out to sea it 
must be to put them on board of some British ship in the 
offing ; as there was a strong gale of wind, with a heavy 
sea running, they must have had an uncomfortable time.* 



* We learned a day or two after that they were put on board an English 
steamer forty miles from the Fort, about two hours before the gale com- 



125 

Occupied tlie balance of the morning in collecting the 
mess dues for the week, and preparing the accounts to 
hand over to my successor, Mr. Green, of Savannah, who 
has agreed to undertake that troublesome task. Our 
''sanctum," as Commodore Barron terms it, I have handed 
over, with all my bedding and furniture, to Mr. Green, 
after consulting with the Commodore, who accepts him as 
a room mate, with the proviso, however, that should I 
return, he will vacate it. 

In the afternoon, by special permit, took a walk round 
the ramparts for the second and last time. Spent the 
evening packing up and preparing to leave. 

In leaving this Fort, it is, perhaps, proper to say, that 
we have experienced none of the brutal treatment which 
characterised the officers and soldiers at Fort LaFayette ; 
while we were thrown entirely on our own resources and 
subjected to strict discipline, there was no harshness or 
rudeness exhibited towards us ; in no instance did I receive 
an unkind word from any officer or soldier. I was com- 
pelled, from my mess duties, to come more in contact with 
the soldiers than any other prisoner, and uniformly found 
them civil ; I suppose I asked over a hundred what induced 
them to enlist in the army ; the answer invariably was, I 
am a mechanic, with a family and without employment, 
and was driven to it by necessity ; very few of them were 
foreigners, and although they probably will fight if driven 
to it, they have no heart in the contest, — they enlisted to 
live and not to die. 

January 2. Up early, and occupied the morning in 
packing up and taking leave of my companions. Terrible 

inenced. The steamer was bound for Halifax, and as nothing was heard 
of them for two weeks, great apprehensions was entertained for their 
safety. We subsequently learned that the vessel after battling with the 
storm for several days, with many of her crew frost-bitten, gave up the 
attempt to'reach Halifax and bore away for Bermuda. 

Mr. Mason's predictions were all realized with wonderful accuracy, 
with the single exception of the date of his arrival in London, he did not 
reach there until the 28th January, owing entirely to the storm, and con- 
sequent change of route by the West Indies. 



126 

storm last night, seven vessels wrecked on or about tlie 
island, mucli apprehension about the safety of Mason and 
Slidell, unless they reached some larger vessel before night ; 
the small tug could not possibly have lived in such a storm. 
Their mode of surrender was discreditable to Lord Lyons 
for permitting it, and disgraceful to the American Govern- 
ment in the extreme, — it was like the spiteful and unwill- 
ing act of a whipped child. 

Left the Fort at one o'cLi-'k in company with Lieutenant 
Buell, the officer who has had special cliarge of the politi- 
cal jjrisoners, and who was visiting Boston for a day or 
two's holiday ; got on board the steam tug with much 
difficulty and some danger : the storm was still so severe 
that the boat could not make fast to the wharf, and our 
only chance of getting on board was to stand on the wharf, 
which was covered with ice, holding on to a post, as the 
boat would run past and spring on board as she rose on the 
water, to our level, wliile my baggage was "pitched" on 
the deck, and a fine rocking chair, which I was desirous of 
taking home, came on board minus the legs and rockers, — 
had I had any idea of the difficulty, I would certainly 
have remained another day. 

Beached Boston at three o'clock, and went to the Tre- 
mont House to dinner. I happen to be about the same 
size and the same general outline as Marshal Kane ; our 
features are dissimilar, but both had, at the time, our faces 
covered with beard,— a few minutes after I was seated at 
the table, I noticed that I was the observed of all observers, 
and soon it was whispered all over the dining room that 
the veritable Marshal Kane, the celebrated rebel and bridge- 
burner of Baltimore, was present ; it did not however dis- 
concert me, or in the least interfere with my appetite : and 
having finished my dinner, I walked through the room 
with as much of dignity as I could possibly assume, every 
eye being turned on me to take one long look at so noto- 
rious a character. 

After calling on Dr. Coale, who has been so kind to us, 
and settling my mess account with him, and visiting 



127 

Faneuil Hall market to pay some bills due for marketing ; 
(quite a crowd gathered round me in the market when it 
became known that I was one of the ''Fort Warren rebels,") 
I left Boston at 5.30 for New York, via Fall river. 

At the supper table on board the boat, the negro waiter 
who attended to me, was unusually polite and attentive to 
my wants : before rising from the table he whispered in 
my ear, that he hoped Marshal Kane was well ; I thanked 
him, and assured him he was in excellent health. 

January 3. Did not reach New York until eleven 
o'clock, in consequence of the storm of last night ; too 
late to connect with the train for Baltimore and was 
compelled to remain until six o'clock; as I passed over 
the gangway of the boat, I could hear numerous voices 
behind me, "that's Marshal Kane," "that's him," there 
he goes," my negro friend had evidently spread the 
new^s; — after telegraphing home that tliey might expect 
me in the morning at five o'clock, I called on Mr. McMas- 
ters, editor of the Freeman's Journal, and Mr. Sullivan, 
the counsel for the privateersmen, who were my companions 
at Fort LaFayette, and spent two or three hours going 
round with them ; was surprised at the freedom of speech 
every where we went, perhaps our visits were confined to 
one class of people ; at three dined with Cranston at the 
New York hotel, who sent us so many good things at Fort 
LaFayette and Fort Warren ; after leaving the hotel, 
found myself dogged by a couple of villainous looking 
detectives, faces half bully and half sneak ; go where I 
would, those fellows were behind me ; in the coffee room at 
the depot, in the ticket office, while getting my baggage 
checked, there they were— finally in the cabin of the ferry- 
boat, finding I could not get rid of them, and their 
action was attracting notice towards me, I went deliber- 
ately up to them and stared them out of the cabin. 

Came through without stopping, reached home at five 
o'clock and found my wife and daughters up, and awaiting 
my arrival, and a nice warm breakfast ready, which, sur- 



128 

rounded by my family, was the sweetest meal I had eaten 
for months. 

It only remains to say, that on the expiration of my 
parole, through the action of some of my friends, I was not 
required to return to the Fort ; no conditions were exacted 
from me, for I would accept of none, no cause given for 
my arrest and none for my release. In short, I suppose, 
not being considered a "dangerous" man, I was simply 
turned loose. 



APPENDIX. 



|0;t^ii|aptt^. 



Our removal from Fort LaFayette on the 30th of October, 1861, 
entirely cleared that place of prisoners, only, however, to be refilled 
to a much greater extent, and in a few weeks crowded far beyond 
what we supposed its utmost capacity. 

From many gentlemen who were confined there through the follow- 
ing winter, and the spring, and summer of 1862, I have had state- 
ments of their condition and treatment, showing that our treatment 
there, brutal as it was, was humanity compared to the treatment of 
those who followed us. 

In the Battery Room where I was located with thirty-seven others, 
and which was then so crowded that our beds touched, or at most a 
few inches between them, sixty-five were packed during the winter 
and spring, the other Battery Rooms packed in the same proportion; 
the small casemate rooms, which we esteemed over crowded with 
eight occupants, were made to hold as high as eighteen, bedsteads had 
to be dispensed with, and the floors covered with mattresses, so that 
the inmates could sleep in common, something like the between decks 
of a slave ship; about eighty of the prisoners, sailors and privateers- 
men, were kept all the time in irons, their legs chained together. 

Up to the month of May the}^ were kept close prisoners in their 
rooms, not permitted to leave them, except under guard, to visit the 
rear ; after sun-set they were not permitted to leave their rooms 
under any circumstances whatever. The rations were inferior in 
quality and quantity, so much so, that among the poorer class of 
prisoners, complaints of hunger were daily and hourly made ; Mrs. 
Gelston continued an angel of mercy to the prisoners, daily sending 
them food, until it became offensive to the commander and it was 
prohibited, first, except in cases of sickness, but soon after totally; 



130 

on entering and leaving the Fort they were stripped and searched, 
their money, watches and pocket knives taken from them ; during the 
winter they suffered much from the very Hmited su|7ply of fuel. 

But all this was humanity compared to the treatment of a few 
prisoners who were specially obnoxious to the Government; Colonel 
Zarvona, Dr. Edson B. Olds, of Ohio, Pierre Soule and Mr. Messereaux, 
of Louisiana, who were confined in separate rooms, or dungeons they 
might be called, although above ground. The first three or four 
weeks of Dr. Old's imprisonment was in solitary confinement, nut 
permitted for any purpose to leave his cell, utterly denied the use of 
pens and paper, of newspapers or books of any description, even to 
the refusal of a Bible when he applied for it : not permitted to have 
light in his cell : the greater portion of the time he was ill with the 
Bloody Flux, and was even refused waste paper. I am aware these 
details are disgusting, still they form a part of the history of the 
times. Some of the prisoners noticing that the food which was taken 
into Dr. Old's cell, came out untouched, supposed the inmate (they 
did not know who) was sick and unable to eat the army rations, and 
requested permission of Lieutenant Wood to send the sick man some 
other food, which was refused. 

The treatment of Zarvona is probably the same, none of the prison- 
ers ever saw him, and he still remains there. Soule and Messereaux 
received the same treatment except shortly before they were released, 
it was so far modified as to permit them to receive newspapers, and 
visit the rear under a guard, at which time all other prisoners must 
be in their rooms. 

On two occasions, the draft from the chimney leading to the quar- 
ters above, became reversed, throwing the whole of the smoke into 
Zarvona's room ; his noise induced the sentinel to open the door, 
after calling the Sergeant of the Guard; the soldiers on entering the 
room immediately retreated, stifled from the smoke ; the door had to 
be left open for fifteen minutes, and the other prisoners were driven 
to their rooms to prevent them from seeing him. 

Lieut. Wood, suspecting he had found means to communicate with 
the other prisoners, laid a trap to ascertain if it were so. Dressing 
one of the soldiers of the same size, in Zarvona's clothes, Zarvona 
was removed from his cell at night, and the soldier substituted, with 
instructions how to act. Next morning, one of the prisoners, Mr. 
Cecil, in passing the cell, was attracted by a noise from the window, 
and a piece of paper tied to a nail was thrown out ; unconsciously he 
stooped to pick it up, and was immediately seized and conveyed to a 



131 

dimgeon cell, six by three feet, wliere a ray of light never penetrated, 
and kept there for seven weeks ; his fellow-prisoners could scarcely 
recognise him, when he re-appeared at the end of that time, so hag- 
gard and emaciated had he become. The reason assigned by Lieut. 
Wood to the other prisoners for his brutality towards Zarvona was 
that he had attempted to make his escape. It is true he did make 
the attempt, but it was nearly two months after he had been placed 
in close confinement, and when it is known that the night on which 
he made the attempt was very cold, that the tide runs like a mill- 
race between the island and the main-land, and that should he have 
escaped the fire of the sentinels, he would almost certainly been chilled 
to death by the water, or carried out to sea by the tide, and as his 
friends say, is unable to swim, it will readily be seen that nothing but 
insanity, or desperation caused by his barbarous treatment could have 
induced him to make the attempt. 

Lieut. Wood, in answer to an enquiry recently made by a commit- 
tee of the Senate, states that Zarvona is confined in a room 25 feet 
long by 15 wide, lighted by three windows, only one of which is closed. 
This is not correct. The room, which I measured myself- is less 
than 14 by 22 feet, with an arched ceiling, 5 feet high at the spring 
of the arch, and 8 feet in the centre, has one door and one window, 
facing the interior of the Fort, which were kept solidly closed, and 
two narrow slits in the wall fiicing the sea. When the front door 
and window was closed, it was impossible to read or write in the day 
time without candles. 



^ni Wixmn. 



After leaving Fort Warren, according to the accounts of my com- 
panions who remained, every thing went on as usual. In February, 
the North Carolina prisoners were exchanged, with the exception of 
Commodore Barron and a few naval officers. The prisoners were con- 
gratulating themselves on the increased accommodation by their depar- 
ture, when a fresh arrival of nearly two hundred officers taken at 
Fort Donaldson, crowded them more than ever. 



132 

The new arrivals experienced the same kind and humane treatment 
from Colonel Dimick which had previously marked his character, with 
the exception of Major General Buckner and Brigadier General 
Tilghman, who were, by special orders from Washington, placed in 
solitary confinement, where they remained during their whole imprison- 
ment. 

All the prisoners of war were exchanged and left the Fort the latter 
part of July — a portion of the political prisoners had been discharged 
in May, on various conditions, and but fourteen now remained ; of 
these, some had been offered a release on parole which was indignantly 
refused, others were esteemed too dangerous to be released on any 
terms. 

The liberty of the island was now given them on parole, and as 
time passed on, the garrison, impressed by their manly bearing, 
learned to treat them with much respect. Even the Boston Journals 
ceased to speak of them as "Miserable Rebels," "Deluded Traitors," 
" Misguided Wretches," butas men whose calm fortitude and stern deter- 
mination to suffer rather than surrender a principle, entitled them to 
sympathy and regard, even from those who differed from them. 

This change of feeling, going on through all the Northern States, 
partly the effects of returning reason, and partly the wide-spread feel- 
ing, that no man, having public or private enemies, could feel assured, 
on retiring at night, that the morrow's sun might not find him in a 
Fortress or a filthy Jail, finally developed itself in the Fall Elections 
in such an unmistakeable form, that the Government was forced to 
relax its policy, and in the month of November, general orders were 
issued to release all the State Prisoners, against whom no specific 
charge existed ; still the feeling against the Maryland Prisoners was 
yet so strong at Washington, kept up in all probability by the Plug 
Ugly Junta in Baltimore, that special orders were sent to Col. Dimick 
not to release any of his prisoners under the general order, and the 
probability is that those gentlemen would have remained at Fort War- 
ren, but (as I am informed) for the interference and strong protests of 
Mr. Blair, the Post Master General, who had always regarded with 
disfavor, the arrest, and particularly the long continued imprisonment 
of the Maryland prisoners, and insisted on their unconditional release, 
which he succeeded in effecting after a sti'ong effort. 



133 



^amp tfha^t. 



It may be interesting to know bow ^^ Sfafc Prisonera" are cared 
for in the Bastiles of the West; they exist in every State, and proba- 
bly vary but little in their management. The one at Camp Chase, 
Columbus, Ohio, is thus described by a " Loyal" Editor who writes 
on the spot : 

HORRIBLE DISCLOSURES IN RELATION TO A 
POLITICAL PRISON. 

We speak wholly of the political prison, the prison of State, as we 
know nothing whatever of what occurs in the prison where " rebels 
taken in arms" are kept — that is, " the prisoners of war." 

It must not be forgotten that there have been from six to seven 
hundred political prisoners at Camp Chase at a time ; and although 
several hundred have been lately discharged without trial, there are 
yet some four hundred — one or two hundred of these have arrived 
there within a few days past from Kentucky and Western Virginia. 
These men are taken from their homes, some from their beds at 
night, some from their houses in day-time, and a great many of them 
are picked up in their fields at work, and never suffered to see their 
families before being spirited ofi" to Ohio and incarcerated in the cele- 
brated Bastile, which will soon be as famous as Olmutz itself. 

Our Ohioans are put into the same prison with these men from 
other States, and from them we have learned some facts which the 
people of Ohio ought to know. Many of these men have been kept 
in this prison for over one year, a great many for five, six, seven and 
eight months, without even seeing outside, or being allowed to com- 
municate personally with any one, not even wife, child, father, 
mother, or stranger. 

They are furnished with nothing but a single blanket, even these 
cold nights, unless they are able to purchase additional comforts with 
money they may be able to command. Many are poor men, and una- 
ble to purchase; they were not permitted to bring along a change of 
clothing, and many had on when seized nothing but summer wear, 
and that has become filthy, worn out, and scarcely hangs upon their 
backs. 

They have no bedding, and therefore are compelled to sleep on 
bare boards. They have not enough wood furnished to keep fires up 
all night, and hence the suflFering is intensified by the cold weather. 
If they attempt, after night, to walk out in the yard to take oif the 
chills of the dreary night, they are instantly threatened to be shot by 
the guards, as ordered by those in command. 



134 

Dv Allen, of Columbia county, Ohio, said he laid on a bare board 
until his hips were black and blue. The wood furnished them is 
four feet long, and they are compelled, each mess to chop it up for 
themselves, and, the provisions being furnished raw, they have to 
cook for themselves. Hecollect, always, that these are political pris- 
oners, against whom no one appears as accuser, and no trial is per- 
mitted. 

The prison has become filthy — awfully so — and the rats are in 
droves. If the prisoners attempt to kill one of these rats they are 
forbidden, and threatened with being shot instantly. Recollect, 
always, as we said above, these are political prisoners, against whom 
some malicious negro-worshipper has created a suspicion of disloyalty, 
but whose name is kept a secret, and hence there can be no trial. 

The prison is perfectly alive with lice and no chance is given to 
escape the living vermin. A dead man, one of the prisoners, was the 
other day carried out to the dead yard, and laid there over night, and 
when visited in the morning by other prisoners, who heard there was 
a dead man there, they found the hair on his head stiff with lice and 
nits — the lice creeping into his eyes in great numbers, and, as he lay 
with his mouth open, the lice were thick crawling in and out of his 
open mouth. 

Not long since two of the prisoners got into a scuffle in trying 
their strength, and finally into a fight, as was supposed; and sevei'al- 
other persons rushed to part them, when the guards from the look 
out above fired on them, killing an old man by the name of Jones, 
from Western Virginia, and the ball grazing the skull of another; ho 
fell, and it was supposed at first he was killed, also; another of the 
balls passed through a board at the head of a sick man in the hospi- 
tal, and only escaped him by a few inches. The two men in the 
scuffle were not hurt. 

Wc might go further, but God knows this is far enough for once. 
It is enough to make one's blood run cold to think of it. 

Now, if any one doubts this — if the authorities at camp or at the 
State House doubt it, if the Legislature, when it meets, will raise a 
committee, we promise to name the witnesses who, if sent for, under 
oath, prove all this, and as much more, some of which is too indecent 
to print in a newspaper for the public ear. 

We do not bring these things to light for any other purpose than 
an act of humanity, of respect for the fair fame of Ohio, and to direct 
public attention to them that the brutal authorities of that camp may 
have justice done them. The commandant of the camp is himself a 
member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He will no doubt 
appear on 1st Monday of January to take his seat. Let him answer 
to his compeers on that floor — let him answer to his constituents who 
elected him — let him answer to the whole people of Ohio, if he dare, 
whether these things are so or not. Heaven be blessed if any modi- 
fication can be put upon these transactions — any excuse of the most 
trivial nature, by which the fame of Ohio may be vindicated from 
the crime and stigma which otherwise must go down to all time upon 
the pages of our history. — Columbus ( Ohio) Crisis. 



135 



COPY OF PROTEST SENT TO WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 8. 

[paper referred to on page 42.] 

Fort La Fayette, October 8, 18G1. 
IIU Excdlenci/^ the President of the United States: 

Sir : The undersigned prisoners confined in Fort LaFayette, are 
compelled to address you this protest and remonstrance against the 
inhumanity of their confinement and treatment. The ofiicers in com- 
mand at Fort Hamilton and (jhis post, being fully aware of the 
grievances and privations to which we are obliged to submit, we are 
bound, for humanity's sake, to presume that they have no authority 
or means to redress or remove them. They, in fact, assure us that 
they have not. Our only recourse, therefore, is to lay this statement 
before you, in order that you may interpose to prevent our being any 
longer exposed to them. 

The prisoners at this post are confined in four small casemates and 
two large battery rooms. The former are about fourteen feet in 
breadth by twenty-four or thereabouts in length, with arched ceilings , 
about eight and a half feet high at the highest point, the spring of ' 
the arch commencing at about five feet from the floor. lu each of 
these is a fire-place and the floors are of plank. The battery-rooms 
are of considerably higher pitch, and the floors are of brick, and a 
large space is occupied in them by the heavy guns and gun-carriages 
of the batteries. They have no fire-places or means of protection 
from cold or moisture, and the doors are large, like those of a carriage- 
house, rendering the admission of light impossible without entire 
exposure to the temperature and weather without. In one of the 
small casemates, twenty-three prisoners are confined, tv/o-thirds of 
them in irons, without beds, bedding, or any of the commonest neces- 
sities. Their condition could hardly be worse if they were in a slave 
ship, on the middle passage. In each of the two, out of the other 
three casemates, ten gentlemen are imprisoned ; in the third there 
are nine, and a tenth is allotted to it; their beds and necessary 
luggage leaving them scarce space enough to move, and rendering the 
commonest personal cleanliness almost an impossibility. The doors 
are all fastened from six or thereabouts in the evening, until the 
same hour in the morning, and with all the windows (which are small) 
left open in all weathers, it is hardly possible to sleep in the foul, 
unwholesome air. Into one of the larger battery-rooms there are 
thirty-four prisoners closely crowded; into the other, thirty-five. All 
the doors are closed for the same period as stated above, and the only ^ 
ventilation is then from the embrasures, and so imperfect that the 
atmosphere is oppressive and almost stifling. Even during the day 
three of the doors of one of these apartments are kept closed, against 
the remonstrances of the medical men who are among the inmates, 
and to the utter exclusion of wholesome and necessary light and air. 
In damp weather all these unhealthy annoyances and painful discom- 
forts are of course greatly augmented, and when, as to-day, the prison- 



136 

ers are compelled by rain to continue within doors, their situation 
becomes almost intolerable. The undersigned do unt hesitate to say, 
that no intelligent inspector of prisons can fail to pronounce their 
accommodations as wretchedly deficient, and altogether incompatible 
with health: and it is obvious, as we already feel, that the growing 
inclemencies of the season which is upon us, must make our condi- 
tion more and more nearly unendurable. Many of the prisoners are 
men advanced in life : many more are of infirm health or delicate con- 
stitutions. The greater portion of them have been accustomed to the 
reasonable comforts of life, none of which are accessible to them here, 
and their liability to illness is, of course, proportionately greater on 
that account. Many have already suffered seriously from indisposi- 
tion augmented by the restrictions imposed upon them. A contagious 
disease is now spreading in one of the larger apartments, and the 
physicians who are among us, are positive that some serious general 
disorder must be the inevitable result, if our situation remains unim- 
proved. The use of any but salt water, except for drinking, has 
been for some time altogether denied to us. The cistern water itself, 
for some days past, has been filled with dirt and animalcules, and the 
•supply, even of that, has been so low that yesterday we were almost 
wholly without drinking water. A few of us who have the means to 
purchase some trifling necessaries, have been able to relieve ourselves, 
to some extent, by procuring an occasional, though greatly inadequate, 
supply of fresh water from the Long Island side. 

It only remains to add, that the fare is of the commonest and 
coarsest soldier's rations, almost invariably ill-prepared and ill-cooked. 
Some of us, who are better able than the rest, are permitted to take 
our meals at a private mess, supplied by the wife of the Ordnance 
Sergeant, for which we pay at the rate of a dollar per day, from our 
own funds. Those who are less fortunate, arc compelled to submit to 
a diet so bad and unusual, as to be seriously prejudicial to their health. 

The undersigned have entered into these partial details, because 
they cannot believe that it is the purpose of the Government to 
destroy their health, or sacrifice their lives, by visiting them with 
such cruel hardships, and they will hope, unless forced to a contrary 
conclusion, that it can only be necessary to present the facts to you, 
plainly, in order to secure the necessary relief. We desire to say 
nothing, here, in regard to the justice or injustice of our imprison- 
ment, but we respectfully insist upon our right to be treated with 
decency and common humanity, so long as the Government sees fit to 
confine us. 

Commending the matter to your earliest consideration and prompt 
interference, we are your obedient servants. 

This paper was signed by about eighty of the prisoners, and Lieu 
tenant Wood informed us it was sent to Washington. Some of the 
prisoners refused to sign it on the ground that the facts were too 
tamely stated, and others, that it might be construed into a petition, 
as it subsequently was. No notice, as far as I know, was ever taken 
of it at Washino;ton. 



Lii ua '05 



